Temecula Deputies Plan Seat Belt, Safety Seat Crackdown

TEMECULA, CA — Federal funding provided through the state will be used next week in Temecula to crack down on drivers and passengers who don't wear seat belts, and motorists who don't secure children in child safety seats, the Southwest Sheriff's Station announced.

The May 24 - June 6 "Click it or Ticket" campaign is being funded by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

“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, of the 22,215 passenger vehicle occupants killed in 2019, 43 percent (9,466) were not wearing seat belts. In 2019, 620 passengers killed in crashes across California were not wearing a seat belt, according to the data provided by the sheriff's station.

California law requires children under 2 years of age to ride in a rear-facing car seat unless the child weighs 40 or more pounds OR is 40 or more inches tall. Children under the age of 8 must be secured in a car seat or booster seat in the back seat. Children who are 8 years of age OR have reached 4 feet 9 inches in height can be secured by a booster seat, but at a minimum must be secured by a safety belt.

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.