The Portland Police Bureau will join area law enforcement in participating in the national Click it or Ticket campaign beginning Monday, May 20, 2024, and running through Sunday, June 2, 2024. Click It or Ticket is a high-visibility enforcement campaign funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The campaign allows for overtime so officers can build awareness on the dangerous consequences of not wearing a seat belt or properly using a child restraint system. PPB Motor Officers will be conducting extra patrols in support of this mission.
Of the 25,420 passenger vehicle occupants killed in the United States in 2022, 50% were not wearing seat belts.
Motor vehicle crashes are the leading nationwide cause of death for children ages one through twelve years old. In 2021, 1,475 children under twelve were injured in Oregon traffic crashes, 16 percent were reported not using a child restraint system. It is estimated that car seats may increase crash survival by 71% for infants under one year old and by up to 59% for toddlers aged one to four. Booster seats may reduce the chance of nonfatal injury among four to eight year olds by 45% compared to safety belts used alone.
In Oregon, children are required to ride in a rear-facing safety seat until they are at least two years old. A rear-facing seat spreads crash forces evenly across the seat and child’s body while also limiting forward or sideways motion of the head. A child over age two must continue to ride in a car seat with harness or in a booster until they reach age eight or 4’ 9” in height and the adult belt fits them correctly.
For help selecting or installing child car seats, consult the seat manufacturer’s instructions, your vehicle owner’s manual, or visit a local child seat fitting station listed at: https://www.nhtsa.gov/equipment/car-seats-and-booster-seats#inspection-inspection
For more about the national campaign, visit: https://www.nhtsa.gov/campaign/click-it-or-ticket
Source: Portland Police Bureau