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Temecula Calif. – The Riverside County Sheriff Department, Southwest Station, encourages the public to wear a seat belt and keep children secured in child safety seats.

This year’s Click it or Ticket campaign is from May 24-June 6. During this time, the Southwest Station will actively look for drivers and passengers who are not wearing a seat belt. This includes drivers who do not secure children in child safety seats.

“Wearing a seat belt is the easiest and safest way to protect yourself in a vehicle,” Deputy Frank Opice said. “It only takes a few seconds and is your best defense in the event of a crash.”

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), of the 22,215 passenger vehicle occupants killed in 2019, 43% (9,466) were not wearing seat belts. In 2019, 620 passengers killed in crashes across California were not wearing a seat belt.

California law requires a child to be properly secured in a car or booster seat in the back seat, until they are at least 8 years of age or at least 4’9” tall. Children under the age of 2 shall ride in a rear-facing seat unless child weighs 40 or more pounds or is 40 or more inches tall.

California has a primary seat belt law, which allows law enforcement officers to ticket someone for not wearing a seat belt without committing another traffic violation.

For media inquiries regarding this incident please contact the Media Information Bureau.

Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

For media inquiries regarding this incident please contact the Media Information Bureau.