As residents prepare to travel and visit family and friends over the upcoming Memorial Day holiday, the Susanville Police Department is reminding everyone that their most important travel preparation is buckling up.
Running through May 31st, local law enforcement will be strictly enforcing seat belt laws as part of the annual national Click It or Ticket safety campaign.
During this two-week mobilization period, the Susanville Police Department will deploy additional officers on patrol. Their primary focus will be actively looking for drivers and passengers who fail to wear seat belts, as well as vehicles where children are not secured in the appropriate, age-specific child safety seats.
The campaign comes as safety officials look at troubling traffic statistics. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 10,484 people killed in crashes across the United States in 2023 were not wearing seat belts.
Closer to home, California traffic data from that same year reveals that 780 unrestrained people lost their lives in crashes, a total that tragically includes 24 children. Furthermore, data shows that unrestrained child fatalities in California increased by 4.3 percent from 2022 to 2023.
“The numbers show a devastating and preventable reality,” the Susanville Police Department shared in their statement. “Buckling up takes only a few seconds, but it is the single most effective thing you can do to protect yourself and your loved ones in a crash.”
The department is also urging parents and caregivers to ensure they are compliant with California’s strict child passenger safety laws, which include the following requirements:
Under 2 Years Old: All children under 2 must ride in a rear-facing car seat unless they weigh 40 pounds or more or are 40 inches or taller.
Under 8 Years Old: Once children outgrow the rear-facing requirements, they must still be properly secured in an appropriate forward-facing car seat or booster seat. They must ride in the back seat unless the vehicle does not have a rear, forward-facing seat.
Ages 8 and Older: Children who are 8 years old or older, or who have reached at least 4 feet 9 inches in height, may use a booster seat, but must at a minimum wear a properly fitted adult safety belt.
Law enforcement and safety experts encourage caregivers to keep children in proper rear- or forward-facing seats for as long as possible. To determine if a child is truly big enough to transition safely from a booster seat to a standard adult seat belt, parents are advised to use the “Five-Step Test” (checking foot placement, knee bend, lap belt position across the hips, shoulder belt position across the chest, and the child’s ability to sit properly for the entire ride).
Whether you are traveling across the state or just driving down the street this Memorial Day, the Susanville Police Department reminds you: Click It or Ticket.
