The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office – San Jacinto Station announced on May 5 that it will increase patrols as part of the annual “Click It or Ticket” campaign, which runs from May 18 to 31. The effort aims to remind travelers to always wear seat belts and secure children in the appropriate car seats during trips, especially when visiting friends and family.
The campaign is intended to reduce injuries and fatalities by encouraging proper use of seat belts and child safety seats. According to the announcement, officers will be looking for drivers and passengers who are not buckled up, including vehicles where children are not secured in age-appropriate safety seats.
“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,” Sergeant Shane Day said. “We want every trip – short or long – to end safely, so please buckle up, every time.”
Data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows that in 2023 there were 10,484 people killed in crashes across the United States who were not wearing a seat belt. In California alone, there were 780 unrestrained fatalities that year—including 24 children—and unrestrained child deaths increased by over four percent compared with the previous year.
California law requires all children under two years old to ride in rear-facing car seats unless they weigh at least forty pounds or are at least forty inches tall. Children under eight must be secured in a car seat or booster unless they meet specific requirements; those eight years old and older—or at least four feet nine inches tall—must use at minimum a properly fitted safety belt. Parents and caregivers are encouraged to keep their children in rear- or forward-facing seats as long as possible and use guidelines such as the “Five-Step Test” before transitioning 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. Media inquiries can be directed to the Media Information Bureau.
