Crook Co. SO joins statewide seat belt, child seat enforcement blitz

The Crook County Sheriff’s Office is joining other law enforcement agencies across the state in a statewide safety belt and child car seat traffic enforcement “blitz’ from May 16-29.

In addition to looking for proper safety belt use and child car seat use, deputies will also be on the alert for persons exceeding the speed limit, distracted driving or violating the “hands free” cellphone law.

This enhanced “Click or Ticket” enforcement is provided through overtime funding from the Oregon Department of Transportation and the USDOT’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

This enforcement focuses on proper use of safety belts and child restraints. Properly using safety belts and child restraints holds a person safely in place and inside the car to prevent injury from occurring during sudden stops, swerves or a crash.

Statewide observations surveys in 2015 found 97% of Oregon travelers use safety belts or child car seats. Not surprisingly, belt use was lower among persons killed in crashes — 75% among all crash fatalities and only 50% among persons killed in night time crashes, according to ODOT reports.