Seat Belt - Click It or Ticket

Next time you or a passenger choose not to buckle up, just remember—penalties for a first-time adult seat belt violation are a minimum of $142. For children under 16, the fine is $445 for a first-time offense.

Because nighttime passengers are among those least likely to buckle up and most likely to die in crashes when unrestrained, nighttime enforcement has become a priority of the "Click It or Ticket" campaign. Nationwide, of those who died in nighttime crashes in 2009, nearly two-thirds (62 percent) were not wearing seat belts at the time of their fatal crashes.

“Many nighttime traffic deaths can be prevented if more motorists simply start wearing their seat belts," said Milpitas police Chief Dennis Graham. "Law enforcement agencies throughout the area will be looking for seat belt violators, day and night."

Citations will be issued without warning, Graham said. "It’s not just about avoiding a costly ticket; it’s about keeping the ones you care about alive. On too many occasions, we’ve seen the tragic results when a driver or passenger fails to take a few seconds to buckle up. Please remember to use your seat belt on every trip, day and night.”

California’s seat belt use rate of 96.2 percent is at an all-time high, but that still leaves nearly 1 million people who are not buckling up, putting their lives at risk every time they get into the car. The "Click It or Ticket" mobilization is credited with increasing the state’s adult seat belt usage rate from 92.5 percent in 2005 to 96.2 percent in 2010.

“We are very proud of California’s seat belt and child safety seat use rates,” said Christopher J. Murphy, director of the California Office of Traffic Safety. “However, with nearly 1 million motorists still not buckling up, there is much more work to do. Reaching the last 4 percent of motorists is crucial to reaching our goal of zero deaths.”

More than 600 permanent "Click It or Ticket" highway signs, which have been up since 2005, have been updated to reflect the "Minimum $142" message as a reminder to motorists that failing to buckle up is costly.

Properly restrained drivers, passengers and children have a 50 percent better chance of surviving a crash than occupants not wearing seat belts. Those ejected from vehicles in crashes or roll-overs are up to 35 times more likely to die than restrained occupants. In 2009 alone, seat belts saved approximately 12,713 lives nationwide. In California, it is estimated that 320 people who were killed in 2009 would be alive today if they had been wearing seat belts.

More than 140 local law enforcement agencies statewide and the California Highway Patrol will participate in this year’s Click It or Ticket campaign. Funding to support it was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.