Click It or Ticket nets 121 seatbelt citations

BARSTOW — More than a hundred Barstonians got a reminder of the importance of seatbelt use that hit them in their pocket books last month.

Barstow Police Department handed out 121 citations for safety restraint violations during seatbelt enforcement details held as part of the statewide Click It or Ticket campaign, from May 12 to June 1, according to a police report. A grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety funded overtime pay during the enforcement period, which included three special four-hour details with six officers concentrating on specific areas of Barstow.

Of the 121 citations issued in Barstow, none were for child safety restraint violations, which police officials said they found to be promising sign. California law requires that children under 6 years old or weighing less than 60 pounds must ride in a child safety seat.

Barstow’s seatbelt use rate is lower than California’s as a whole, the police report stated. California’s average seatbelt use in 2007 was 94.6 percent, while Barstow’s seatbelt use was 86.5 percent prior to the Click It or Ticket campaign. After the campaign, police estimated seatbelt use in Barstow at 90.5 percent.

More than 280 law enforcement agencies statewide participated in the Click It or Ticket campaign. Although the campaign has ended, Barstow police will continue to crack down on drivers who do not buckle up, the report said.