“Click It or Ticket” campaign includes buckling up children

This year’s annual statewide “Click It or Ticket” campaign will take place between May 18 and May 31.

During these dates, motorists in Washington can expect to see extra seat belt patrols, which will include an emphasis on children who are not properly restrained.

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of unintentional deaths among children in the United States.

Between 2010 and 2012, in Washington State, 26 child passengers age 12 and younger died, and another 122 were seriously injured as a result of traffic crashes.

The majority of these tragedies likely could have been avoided had these children been properly restrained, as dictated by Washington State law.

Cesi Velez, Project Manager for Washington Child Passenger Safety, explains, “Washington State law requires child passengers to be properly restrained until the motor vehicle safety belt fits properly. It also requires children under the age of 13 to ride in the back seat. Seems simple enough, yet car and booster seats can be very confusing.

“Educating the public on Washington law can also be challenging for law enforcement. A new online child passenger safety training will be available to law enforcement officers prior to the start of the “Click It or Ticket” campaign. This training will assist officers to help ensure children are riding safely in the car,” Velez said.

For more information on Child Passenger Safety in Washington, please visit http://washingtonCPS.com.

In Grant, Adams and Lincoln Counties the Ephrata, Mattawa, Moses Lake, Othello, Quincy, Ritzville, Royal City, Soap Lake and Warden Police Departments, the Grant, Adams and Lincoln County Sheriff’s Offices and the Washington State Patrol will be teaming up and participating in the extra patrols, with the support of the Central Basin Traffic Safety Task Force.

These and all extra patrols are part of Target Zero—striving to end traffic deaths and serious injuries in Washington by 2030.

For more information, visit http://www.targetzero.com. Additional information on the Washington Traffic Safety Commission can be found on the website, http:// http://www.wtsc.wa.gov.