Police Looking for Seatbelt Violators

As residents get ready to hit the roads this Memorial Day holiday, the Newport Beach Police Department is urging everyone to buckle up.

Newport Beach police are partaking in the national Click It or Ticket seat belt law campaign, which began today, and are on the lookout for drivers who are not wearing their seat belts.

“As we kick-off the busy summer driving season, it’s important that everyone buckles up, and properly secures their children, every time they drive or ride in a vehicle, both day and night – no excuses," Newport Beach police Lt. Jeff Lu said in a released statement. "Wearing a seat belt may very well save your life or that of a loved one.”

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 52 percent of the 21,253 passenger vehicle occupants killed in 2011 were not wearing their seat belts at the time of the crash. Officials said the fatal accidents that include drivers not buckled up, are most common at night.

Police said the national statistics are mirrored locally.

In Newport Beach three unrestrained passenger vehicle occupants were killed at night, compared to zero who were unrestrained and killed during daytime crashes, police reported.

“Seat belts save thousands of lives every year, but far too many motorists are still not buckling up, especially at night when the risk of getting in a crash is even greater,” Christopher J. Murphy, director of the California Office of Traffic Safety, said. “We want everyone to have a safe summer, but it requires an important step on the part of motorists – clicking that seat belt.”

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