Pasadena Police Launch Memorial Day Weekend ‘Click It or Ticket’ Campaign to Boost Seat Belt Use

Pasadena Police are launching a Memorial Day weekend seat belt campaign starting Monday, May 20th and running through June 2, deploying additional officers on patrol to actively look for drivers and passengers who are not wearing a seatbelt.

The enforcement is part of a national “Click It or Ticket” campaign. Officers will also look for children not secured in child safety seats and for children not in age-proper safety seats.

“Wearing a seat belt should be automatic for all drivers and passengers every trip,” said Pasadena Police Department Lt. Anthony Russo. “Seat belts save lives, and everyone – front seat and back, child and adult – needs to always remember to buckle up.”

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, nearly 12,000 people killed in crashes throughout the country in 2021 were not wearing seat belts. In California, 878 people killed in crashes in 2021 were unrestrained, a 12.3% increase from 2020.

California law requires children under 8 years old or less than 4 feet, 9 inches tall to be secured in a safety or booster seat. Children under the age of 2 must ride in a rear-facing seat unless the child weighs 40 or more pounds or is 40 or more inches tall.

The Pasadena Police Department offers free car seat inspections and installation assistance through its car seat safety program. For more information about the car seat safety program, contact Sgt. C. Burchett at (626) 744-7415.

A grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration provides funding for the “Click It or Ticket” program.

For more information, visit https://www.cityofpasadena.net/police/.