With the Memorial Day weekend approaching, Fairfield police are reminding motorists to buckle up and also secure children in the proper car seats in the “Click it or Ticket” campaign starting Monday.
Additional officers will be on patrol looking for drivers and passengers who aren’t wearing seat belts during the campaign, which starts Monday and runs through June 2, police said. This includes vehicles where children are not secured in child safety seats or the right safety seats for their age.
“Wearing a seat belt should be automatic for all drivers and passengers every trip,” Fairfield Police Sergeant Frank Piro said in a statement. “Seat belts save lives, and everyone — front seat and back, child and adult — needs to remember always to buckle up.”
The number of people killed in California crashes who weren’t wearing seat belts increased 12.3 percent in 2021, to 878 people, police said. Nearly 12,000 people killed in crashes in the U.S. in 2021 were not wearing seat belts, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
California law requires a child to be secured in a safety or booster seat until they are at least 8 years old or at least 4 feet 9 inches tall, police said. Children under the age of 2 must ride in a rear-facing seat unless the child weighs 40 or more pounds or is 40 or more inches tall.