During the week of March 27 through April 2, the Arcadia Police Department Traffic Bureau will be conducting directed enforcement focused on child seat safety. During this week officers will be targeting drivers who allow children to ride in vehicles while not properly restrained.
Education is a significant deterrence when it comes to child seat safety. Educational materials will be handed out to area schools and officers will be available for questions regarding child seat safety.
Motor vehicle crashes remain the number one cause of death for children and young adults. In 2014, over 6,000 children under the age of 14 were killed or seriously injured as a result of vehicle crashes in California. Of the children who died 63 percent were unrestrained.
California law requires children to ride in a safety seat or booster, in the back seat, until they are at least 8 years old. However, most children need a booster seat for proper belt fit until they are 10 to 12 years old. SafetyBeltSafe U.S.A. recommends that children ride in the back seat, which is 40 percent safer than the front, until they are old enough to learn to drive. For more information on child passenger safety, visit www.nhtsa.gov.
