Seat Belt Enforcement Campaign, Feb. 4

Officers from the Coos Bay Police Department will join law enforcement agencies throughout Oregon in a Safety Belt Enforcement Campaign from February 9th to 22nd. This is the first of three scheduled safety belt and traffic safety campaigns for 2015. Oregon sheriff’s offices, local police departments, and Oregon State Police (OSP) will participate on federal overtime grants from US Department of Transportation (USDOT). The focus of the program is to increase public awareness of the seatbelt laws with the goal of reducing traffic injuries and deaths. As officers from the Coos Bay Police Department take to the road during this campaign, they will focus their attention on seatbelt violations, child safety seat violations, and texting/distracted drivers. Officers will also be watching for drivers who are speeding or driving while impaired by alcohol or drugs. Oregon law requires that there be “proper use” of the entire seatbelt system; lap belt placed low across the hips and a shoulder belt over the collarbone and crossing the center of the chest. Belts should be free of slack and lying flat with no twists or knots. If necessary, slide the attachment on the door post up or down to fit the size of you or your passenger. Shoulder belts should not be placed under the arm or behind the back as this can cause serious internal injuries or ejection in the event of a crash. A statewide observation survey in June 2014 found 98% percent of Oregon’s motoring public routinely using safety belts. However, ODOT crash data reveals a belt use rate of only 62% among those killed in crashes last year. • Among those killed or injured were 938 child passengers under age eight and a third of these were riding unrestrained or in the wrong type safety restraint for their size. • OSP, sheriffs, and local police will be working to increase proper safety belt and child car seat use during a statewide traffic enforcement “blitz” from February 9th through February 22nd. This enhanced enforcement is paid for by dedicated funding from USDOT’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. • Child car seats reduce the likelihood of infants under 1 year old being killed in a crash by 71 percent and the fatal risk for toddlers ages 1 to 4 years old by 54 percent, and 58 and 59 percent for infants and toddlers in SUVS, pickups and vans. • Oregon law requires children less than forty pounds be restrained in a child seat. Children under one year or weighing less than twenty pounds must be restrained in a rear-facing child seat. A child over forty pounds must be restrained in either a child seat or a booster seat appropriate for their size until they reach age eight or 4’ 9” tall AND the adult belt system fits them correctly. • For help with child seats, refer to the seat manufacturer’s instructions, vehicle owner’s manual, or your local child seat fitting station. A list of fitting stations can be found at: http://www.nhtsa.gov/apps/cps/index.htm or at http://oregonimpact.org/car-seat-resources/