Sheriff’s push hopes to bolster safety during Thanksgiving.

[view:node_ad=5]In an effort to help bring everyone home safe for the holidays, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department – Santa Clarita Valley Station will be aggressively enforcing the state's seat belt and child safety seat laws during a Click it or Ticket  mobilization, taking place November 17-30. 

The campaign relies on heavy enforcement and public education as a means to help reduce deaths and injuries on California's roadways.  California currently has a seat belt use rate at 95.7 percent.

"The Click It or Ticket campaign has shown that Californians have gotten the message that seat belts work," said Captain Anthony La Berge.  "But hundreds are still dying every year because they didn't buckle up.  Our deputies will not accept excuses or give warnings.  It really is Click it or Ticket." 

California has a primary seat belt law which requires that every passenger in the car, including the driver, wear a seat belt at all times.  If stopped and found to be in violation, the Sheriff’s department says that deputies will be issuing citations without warning.  Tickets for the first seat belt violations range from $80 to $91 for adults and $330 to $401 for children under age 16, depending on the county. 

"While we are very happy with actually surpassing 95 percent usage, that still means that more than a million people are in real danger in the event of a crash," said Christopher J. Murhy, Director of the Office of Traffic Safety (OTS).  "It takes just two seconds to reduce your chances of dying in a crash by half." 

Teens and nighttime car occupants lag behind others as far as buckling up is concerned.  Officers will be concentrating on this target group even more. More than 280 law enforcement agencies statewide will be participating in this year's Click It or Ticket mobilization.