Monday, May 20th through Sunday June 2nd, the Amarillo Police Department will be participating in the national Click it or Ticket campaign. The Department received a grant from the Texas Department of Transportation that will fund extra officers to patrol and concentrate on seatbelt and child restraint violations during this time period. Numerous extra officers will be out during this period and enforcement of these violations will be strict.
Texas law requires that every person in a vehicle be secured by a safety belt. That means that even passengers in the back seat must be secured. All vehicles are included. All children younger than eight (8) years of age have to ride in a child safety seat or booster seat unless they are taller than 4 ft. 9 inches. The child seat must be used according to the instructions of the manufacturer of the safety seat system. Many safety seat manufacturers advise purchasers not to use their safety seats in the front seat of a vehicle. Seatbelts must also be worn as they are designed to be worn, not under an arm.
In Amarillo this year, there have been 8 fatal crashes claiming the lives of 8 people. Two of the 8 fatalities were not wearing a seatbelt.
