The Long Beach Police Department (LBPD) will begin its “Click It or Ticket” Campaign Monday, May 18, joining law enforcement agencies throughout the country in reminding the public to buckle their seat belts.

“As we approach Memorial Day weekend and the summer vacation season, we want to make sure people are doing the one best thing that can save them in a crash: buckling up,” LBPD Traffic Enforcement Lt. Kris Klein said.

Nearly half of the 21,132 vehicle passengers killed in crashes throughout the country in 2013 were unrestrained, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. At night, between 6PM and 5:59AM, unrestrained individuals accounted for 59 percent of those killed.

In California, 500 unrestrained vehicle occupants died in 2013, with men being more likely to not wear seat belts, according an LBPD release. 

During the two-week campaign, officers will conduct four nighttime seat belt enforcement operations in addition to routine patrol of unrestrained drivers and passengers, officials said.

A seat belt violation ticket can usually run $161, the minimum penalty in the state.

“The bottom line is that seat belts save lives,” Klein said. “If these enforcement crackdowns get people’s attention and get them to buckle up, then we’ve done our job.”

Above left: File Photo