Click It or Ticket Enforcement Begins Today

Buckling up could save you a couple hundred bucks and your life.

The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, Glendale Police and California Highway Patrol will be out on the prowl targeting unbelted drivers starting today, May 23, as part of the annual Click It or Ticket campaign. First-time adult seat belt violations can cost a minimum of $142. For children under 16-years-old, the fine jumps to $445 for first-time offenders.

“Many nighttime traffic deaths can be prevented if more motorists simply start wearing their seat belts. Law enforcement throughout the area will be looking for seat belt violators, day and night,” said Captain David Silversparre in a statement. “Citations will be issued without warning.”

Nearly 1 million Californians don’t buckle up, even though current seat belt use is at an all-time high of 96.2 percent. Occupants after dark are the least likely to buckle up and the most likely to die in a crash.

Belted drivers and passengers are 50 percent more likely to survive a car crash, according to the LASD. Officials say that 320 California lives could have been saved in 2009 if the occupants had been wearing their seat belt.

“It’s not just about avoiding a costly ticket; it’s about keeping the ones you care about alive. Remember to buckle up on every trip, day and night,” continued Silversparre.

Click It or Ticket funding was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.