The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office announced on May 4 that it will participate in the annual Click It or Ticket campaign, running from May 18 to 31. During this period, additional officers will be on patrol to check that drivers and passengers are wearing seat belts and that children are secured in appropriate car seats.
The campaign aims to remind travelers of the importance of buckling up and properly securing children when traveling, especially during visits with friends and family over the holiday period. Authorities say that increased enforcement is intended to improve community safety by reducing fatalities related to unrestrained occupants in vehicles.
Sergeant Evan Bechtold said, “Our priority is protecting the people in our community. Wearing a seat belt or properly securing children in car seats or a booster seat gives everyone a better chance of surviving a crash. We want every trip – short or long – to end safely, so please buckle up, every time.”
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there were 10,484 people killed nationwide in crashes in 2023 who were not wearing seat belts. In California alone, there were 780 unrestrained people killed last year, including 24 children. The state also saw an increase of 4.3 percent in unrestrained child fatalities from 2022 to 2023.
California law requires all children under two years old to ride in a rear-facing car seat unless they meet certain weight or height criteria. Children under eight must be secured either by a car seat or booster unless specific exceptions apply based on vehicle configuration and child size. The sheriff’s office encourages parents and caregivers to use proper restraint systems for as long as possible and recommends using the “Five-Step Test” before transitioning children out of booster seats.
Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
