Carlsbad CA— Beginning tomorrow,Tuesday May 19 through Monday June 1, the City of Carlsbad Police Department will join the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the California Office of Traffic Safety and other nationwide law enforcement agencies to remind motorists to “Click It or Ticket” during the annual strict enforcement campaign.
“Click It or Ticket” is a national campaign designed to encourage the use of seatbelts and to reduce the occurrences of highway collision fatalities. This year’s campaign will focus on nighttime hours when the occurrences of seatbelt related auto collision fatalities increases.
“Motor vehicle safety is a top priority,” said Carlsbad Police Chief Gary Morrison. “Participating in this campaign and enforcement event is one more way we can increase safety on the roadway, decreased motor vehicle collisions that result in death and ensure that everyone arrives home safely.”
According to the NHTSA:
Nearly half of the 21,132 passenger vehicle occupants killed in crashes in 2013 were unrestrained.

• Nearly one in five Americans fail to regularly wear a seat belt when driving or riding in a motor vehicle.
• 61 percent of passenger vehicle occupants killed at night were unbuckled.
• 79 percent of all those unrestrained travelers ejected from their vehicles were killed.

The NHTSA notes on their website, “You can help protect your friends and family when you lead by example and remind others to buckle up. It turns out 9 out of 10 people fasten their seat belt when asked to do so. So speak up and buckle up, every time on every trip.”
“The bottom line is that seatbelts save lives,” said Carlsbad campaign coordinator and Motor Officer Travis Anderson. “We are asking everyone to buckle up so no one has to lose another loved one because they were traveling unrestrained.”
In California, the minimum penalty for a seat belt violation is $161.
For more information on the “Click It or Ticket” campaign, please visit www.nhtsa.gov/ciot.