From Sandy Louey:
Area police departments began a crackdown on seat belt scofflaws Monday as part of a statewide campaign.
The statewide "Click It or Ticket" enforcement program, which focuses on encouraging seat belt use, continues until June 1.
More than 280 law enforcement agencies are participating in this year's campaign. Grant money that helps pay for officer overtime during the campaign comes from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
California has the country's fourth-highest seat belt use rate at 94.6 percent. State law requires everyone in a car to wear a seat belt at all times.
Tickets for not wearing a seat belt range from $80 to $91 for adults and $330 to $401 for children under age 16, depending on the county.
Here are some additional seat belt facts and figures, as provided by the Elk Grove Police Department:
• California's 2007 seat belt use rate is 94.6 percent, up from 93.4 percent in 2006, fourth highest in the nation.
• Since the Click It or Ticket campaign began in California in 2005, California's seat belt use rate has increased from 90.4 percent in 2004 to 94.6 percent in 2007. This represents well over one million more people who are now buckling up.
• California's 2007 teen seat belt use rate is 88.9 percent, a disturbing decrease from the 90.8 in 2006
• California's 2007 child safety seat usage rate is 87.7 percent - down from 87.8 percent in 2006.
• The 2007 national average for seat belt use is 82 percent.
• The cost for a seat belt violation in California for unbuckled vehicle occupants over age 16 is between $80-$91, depending on the county.
• When children under age six are not properly secured in a vehicle, the parent or driver can receive 'one point' on their driving record, in addition to a fine ranging from $330 to $401 on a first offense and between $795 and $971 on a second offense. If the parent is not in the car, the driver gets the ticket.
• According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), seat belts reduce a person's changes of dying in a crash by 50 percent.
• Seat belts are the single most effective motor vehicle occupant safety device yet developed for older children and adults.
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