Click It or Ticket

Seat belt tickets are on the rise as more than 150 local law enforcement agencies throughout California focused on looking for “unbelted drivers” through June 6th as part of a “Click It or Ticket” campaign that began May 25th. The cost for a first-time violation has gone up from $132 to $142, and a first-time offense for children younger than 16 costs $445. Law enforcement is taking this matter seriously since “it’s a proven fact that seat belts save lives.” According to CHP figures, 28 of the 79 vehicle deaths in 2009 in Orange County were due to people not wearing a seat belt. Santa Ana Officer, Boatman, commented that he issues up to two seat belt citations a day while patrolling unincorporated Santa Ana. Last year, 166, 690 citations were issued statewide to people who weren’t wearing their seat belts and 7,872 of those citations were handed out in Orange County. So next time you decide to pull out of your house, even for a moment, don’t forget to “click it” or else you’ll be paying for a hefty ticket. See California Vehicle Code Section 27315.