Martin Feinberg, Realtor, notes that from May 20 to June 2, the Culver City Police Department will have additional officers on patrol to look for drivers and passengers who are not wearing their seat belts.  They will also be looking for drivers who have not secured children in child safety seats.  The 13-day enforcement effort is part of the national Click It or Ticket campaign.  The Click It or Ticket campaign focuses on increasing seat belt use.

According to Culver City Police Chief Scott Bixby, “Seat belts have proven time and time again to be life-savers.  Buckling up should be second nature.”

California has one of the highest seat belt use rates in the nation.  It’s at 96.2%.  532 people killed in crashes throughout the state last year were not wearing a seat belt however.

“Putting on a seat belt takes a few seconds and is your best protection in a crash,” added Chief Scott Bixby.  “We want everyone to be as safe as possible when driving or riding in a car. Wearing a seat belt is the easiest way to do that.”

In the Culver City Real Estate area, the fine for not wearing a seat belt is $162.  It’s $490 for failing to secure a child in the proper safety seat.

Under California law, children under two years old, under 40 pounds, and under 40 inches tall are required be in a rear-facing car seat. Children under the age of eight years old must be secured in a child’s car seat or a booster seat. Martin Feinberg, Culver City Realtor, was interested to learn that California, unlike some other states, has a primary seat belt law, which means law enforcement officers can ticket someone for not wearing a seat belt without committing another traffic violation.

Click It or Ticket enforcement efforts are funded in part by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.