Click It or Ticket: Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office launches seat belt, child car seat enforcement blitz

 BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Deputies with the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office are stepping up traffic enforcement over the next two weeks to keep families safe by ensuring drivers buckle up and children are properly secured in car seats. 

From now through February 8, deputies will join law enforcement across the state in the national Click It or Ticket campaign to enforce seat belt and child car seat laws, DCSO said in Monday's announcement, which continues below:

Motor vehicle crashes remain a leading cause of death in Oregon, which is why deputies will be out to ensure compliance and share resources to keep families safe. 

Why this matters: 

• In 2023, 30% of Oregon’s motor vehicle occupant fatalities (111 of 365) involved someone not wearing a seat belt or using a child restraint. 

• Nationally, 50% of passenger vehicle occupants killed in crashes were unrestrained. 

• Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for children ages 1–12.  

• In Oregon, 1,972 children under 12 were injured in traffic crashes last year, and 11% were not using a child restraint system. 

Oregon law requires children under age 2 to ride in a rear-facing car seat, and older children must remain in a car seat or booster until they are eight years old or 4’9” tall.  

This campaign isn’t just about writing tickets. It’s about saving lives. Deputies are working to educate drivers and remind everyone that seat belts are the simplest, most effective way to prevent tragedy. Taking a few seconds to buckle up can mean the difference between life and death. 

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration offers resources on its website to help select and install child car seats.