The Long Beach Police Department is cracking down on seat belt safety with the "Click It or Ticket" campaign, advising Californians to ensure they're strapped in on every journey. The initiative, running from May 12 to June 1, focuses on increasing law enforcement presence to spot those neglecting the click of a seat belt, which remains a pivotal safeguard against motor vehicle injuries and fatalities.
During this period, the LBPD has stated it will specifically have additional officers on patrol to actively look for drivers and passengers, including children, who are not properly restrained. "Wearing a seat belt should be automatically remembered by all drivers and passengers every trip," Commander Jeremy Boshnack emphasized in a statement obtained by Long Beach Government Publications. The campaign not only serves as a reminder but also as an enforcement period to prevent avoidable tragedies.
Figures show a stark reality, indicating that 11,302 people who perished in crashes in the nation during 2022 were not using their seat belts, a grim statistic that underscores the importance of this campaign. In California alone, there were 842 fatalities in vehicle crashes last year involving individuals not wearing seat belts, which, though a decrease from the previous year, still represents a significant number of lives lost.
California's laws are stringent when it comes to the safety of younger passengers. Children under 2 years of age are required to ride in a rear-facing car seat, except if they are 40 pounds or heavier, or 40 inches or taller. Following these milestones, the law mandates children under the age of eight to be secured in a proper car or booster seat. The LBPD advocates for parents and caregivers to keep their children in the appropriate seats as long as possible. They promote the "Five-Step Test" to judge if children are big enough to safely use a seat belt without a booster.
