Los Angeles: The Los Angeles Police Department, in an effort to help bring everyone home safe for the holidays, will be aggressively enforcing the State's seat belt and child safety seat laws during a Click It or Ticket  mobilization, taking place November 17-30, 2008.  The campaign relies on heavy enforcement and public education as a means to help reduce deaths and injuries on California's roadways.  California currently has a seat belt use rate at 95.7 percent.

“The Click It or Ticket campaign has shown that Californians have gotten the message that seat belts work,” said Police Sergeant Bob Rieboldt.  “However, drivers and passengers are still dying every year because they did not buckle up. Our officers will not accept excuses or give warnings.  It really is Click It or Ticket.”  

California has a primary seat belt law which requires that every passenger in the car, including the driver, is required to wear a seat belt at all times.  If stopped and found to be in violation, law enforcement will issue citations without warning.

“While we are very happy with actually surpassing 95 percent usage, that still means that more than a million people are in real danger in the event of a crash,” said Christopher J. Murphy, Director of the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS).  “It takes just two seconds to reduce your chances of dying in a crash by half.”

Teens and nighttime car occupants lag behind others as far as buckling up is concerned.  Officers will be concentrating to ensure they are properly restrained.  More than 280 law enforcement agencies statewide will be participating in this year's Click It or Ticket mobilization.

Funding for officer overtime to support California's Click It or Ticket campaign was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Any questions regarding this matter, please contact Officer Don Inman, Traffic Coordination Section, Emergency Operations Division, at 213-847-1630.