Golden State Today

As Memorial Day Weekend approaches, the Goleta Police Department is reminding travelers to prioritize safety by always wearing seat belts and ensuring children are secured in appropriate car seats. The department's annual "Click It or Ticket" campaign, which runs from May 20 to June 2, aims to enforce these precautions.

During the campaign period, officers will be on high alert for drivers and passengers who fail to wear seat belts. This includes vehicles where children are not properly secured in child safety seats or the correct safety seats for their age.

Sergeant Noel Rivas emphasized the importance of this habit. “Wearing a seat belt should be automatic for all drivers and passengers every trip,” he said. “Seat belts save lives, and everyone — front seat and back, child and adult — needs to remember always to buckle up.”

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported that nearly 12,000 people killed in crashes across the United States in 2021 were not wearing seat belts. In California alone, there were 878 fatalities involving individuals not wearing seat belts, marking an increase of 12.3 percent from the previous year.

California law mandates that children must be secured in a safety or booster seat until they reach either eight years old or a height of at least 4 feet, 9 inches. Children under two years old must ride in a rear-facing seat unless they weigh 40 pounds or more or are at least 40 inches tall.

The City of Goleta collaborates with the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Office for law enforcement services.