'Click It or Ticket' Nets 17,928 Seat Belt and Child Seat Charges
18 June 1999
'Click It or Ticket' Nets 17,928 Seat Belt and Child Seat Charges From May 31 to June 13; Gov. Hunt Signs Senate Bill 65 Into Law
RALEIGH, N.C., June 17 -- After North Carolina law
enforcement officers issued 16,609 seat belt and 1,319 child safety seat
citations during the spring 1999 edition of the "Click It or Ticket"
enforcement campaign, Gov. Jim Hunt today signed Senate Bill 65, increasing
occupant protection for children up to age 16.
"There are many good reasons for this new law. In fact, in 1998, there
were at least 58 of them," Hunt said in the Old Senate Chambers of the State
Capitol, referring to the number of unbuckled children under age 16 who died
in North Carolina car crashes. "I don't want to see another report about a
child whom safety experts say would have survived if only he had been buckled
up.
"The time for 'if only' has passed," added Hunt, who was joined by bill
sponsor Rep. Martha Alexander, state officials and highway safety advocates.
"It's now time to save lives and reduce injuries. As of Oct. 1, all children
up to age 16 must ride in an age-appropriate restraint -- at all times and
in all seating positions."
Effective Oct. 1, all children under 16 years of age must travel properly
secured in a child passenger restraint system or in a seat belt at all times
and in all seating positions. The new law also increases by one year the
mandatory use of a child restraint system to the fifth birthday and 40 pounds
in weight. That restraint must be secured in the back seat of a vehicle --
if the vehicle has an active passenger-side airbag and a back seat that can
accommodate the restraint -- unless the restraint is designed for use with
an active passenger-side airbag.
This law will increase the responsibility of motorists to buckle up --
and increase the role of law enforcement in making sure they do. During the
just completed "Click It or Ticket" campaign, officers conducted a total of
1,461 checkpoints and random patrols across the state from Monday, May 31, to
Sunday, June 13. The numbers were reported by law enforcement agencies in
each county and compiled by the North Carolina State Highway Patrol.
Besides cracking down on seat belt and child safety seat violators,
officers last week charged 2,490 with driving while impaired (DWI). They
discovered a total of 67,747 violations, including 874 drug charges, 48 stolen
vehicles, and 15 fugitives from justice.
The goal of "Click It or Ticket" is to boost seat belt use in North
Carolina, saving lives, preventing injuries, and reducing the massive health-
care costs associated with traffic crashes. Hunt issued a proclamation in
support of "Click It or Ticket" calling for zero tolerance of child passenger
safety violations. Hunt stated he supports "making child passenger safety a
priority in my state through highly visible enforcement and adoption of a
policy of 'zero tolerance' for unbuckled children. Drivers who allow children
to ride unrestrained will be stopped and enforcement action will be taken."
The following are "Click It or Ticket" statewide totals for
May 31 to June 13:
Statewide Totals
DWI Occupant Restraint Traffic Violations
Driving Child Total
Total While Seat Belt Safety Traffic
Checkpoints Impaired Violations Seat Speeding Violations
Violations Violations
437 774 4,453 408 6,458 19,012
(6/7-6/13)
474 855 5,505 449 7,758 22,173
(5/31-6/6)
550 861 6,651 462 7,648 23,389
(5/24-5/30)
1,461 2,490 16,609 1,319 21,864 64,574
(Total)
Criminal Violations
Other Total
Misdemeanor Felony Firearm Stolen Fugitives Criminal Criminal
Drug Drug Violations Vehicles Arrested Violations Violations
Violations Violations Recovered Not Listed
203 66 31 10 5 692 1,007
228 65 15 16 7 767 1,098
245 67 22 22 3 706 1,068
676 198 68 48 15 2,165 3,173
Total
Traffic &
Criminal
Violations
20,019
23,271
24,457
67,747