With the "Click It or Ticket" campaign, the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office has called on everyone who drives to always buckle up and keep children in child safety seats.
This year, the Click It or Ticket campaign runs from May 22 to June 4. During this time, the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office will have additional deputies on patrol actively searching for drivers and passengers who are not wearing seat belts.
This includes vehicles where children are not secured in special safety seats.
“I have witnessed firsthand the devastating consequences of not wearing a seatbelt. It's a safety device that can mean the difference between life and death. Buckling up isn't just about following the law; it's valuing your own safety and the safety of others," said San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus.
In light of this, he recalled that every time you buckle up, you promise to protect yourself and your loved ones.
"Don't take chances, buckle up and make every ride safe," Corpus added.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), nearly 12,000 people killed in crashes across the country in 2021 were not wearing seat belts.
In California, 756 people killed in crashes during 2020 were not wearing seat belts, or nearly 20 percent of all traffic deaths in the state.
It should be noted that California law requires that a child be restrained in a car or booster seat until the child is at least 8 years old or at least 4 feet 9 inches tall.
Meanwhile, children under the age of 2 must ride in a rear-facing seat unless the child weighs 40 or more pounds or is 40 or more inches tall.
Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Highway Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
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