CAMDEN — By TAMMY FRAZIER
Managing editor
As people take to the roadways to celebrate the long Memorial Day weekend, law enforcement officials across the nation are reminding motorists that they will be working to make sure that everyone on the roads use their seat belts.
Beginning today, additional patrol assignments have been scheduled for law enforcement officers across Arkansas who are devoting time to strictly enforce Arkansas’ primary seat belt law, according to a news release from the Arkansas State Police. The special operation continues through June 2 as part of the “Click It or Ticket” seat belt enforcement campaign.
The enforcement plan includes the Arkansas State Police and local departments represented by the Arkansas Association of Chiefs of Police and the Arkansas Sheriff’s Association.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Association, the 10,076 people who were killed in passenger-vehicle crashes in 2017 weren’t buckled. Fifty-five percent of those fatalities happened at night - from the hours of 6 p.m. until 5:59 a.m., the NHTSA reports. Law enforcement will be taking a no-excuses approach to seat belt law enforcement during the “Click It or Ticket” campaign and will be writing citations day and night.
Arkansas state law requires all front seat passengers - not just drivers - to buckle up, and all children under 15 must be properly secured in the vehicle.
Also, a child who is less than six years old and who weighs less than 60 pounds must be restrained in a child passenger safety seat.
If the driver has a restricted license, all passengers in the vehicle must be properly buckled up, according to Arkansas law.
For information about “Click it or Ticket” and how seat belts save lives, visit www.nhtsa.gov/ciot or call the Arkansas Highway Safety Office at (501) 618-8133. Information about Arkansas’ ongoing “Toward Zero Deaths” campaign can be found at www.TZDarkansas.org.