HARRISBURG, Pa. — The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation is teaming up with Pennsylvania State Police and municipal police departments and other safety partners across the commonwealth to participate in a national "Click It or Ticket" selt belt education and enforcement initiative.
The mobilization begins today and will last through June 6, PennDOT said.
“‘Click it or Ticket' isn't about citations, it's about saving lives,” said PennDOT Secretary Yassmin Gramian. “Buckling up is the single most effective thing you can do to protect yourself and your loved ones in a crash.”
Pennsylvania law requires any occupant younger than 18 to buckle up when riding in a vehicle, as well as drivers and front-seat passengers. Children under the age of two must be secured in a rear-facing car seat, and children under the age of four must be restrained in an approved child safety seat. Children must ride in a booster seat until their eighth birthday, according to PennDOT.
In addition to adopting a zero-tolerance approach toward violators, troopers certified as child passenger safety technicians will offer car seat fittings and inspections throughout Pennsylvania, helping ensure that car seats are in good working condition, installed properly, and free from recalls.
“State police child passenger safety technicians look forward to hosting dozens of events across the commonwealth to highlight child passenger safety,” said Major Robert Krol, director of the Pennsylvania State Police Bureau of Patrol. “We hope everyone who drives with children in their vehicles will take advantage of this free resource to keep their youngest passengers safe while traveling.”
A complete list of child passenger seat fitting stations is available at psp.pa.gov.
As part of the enforcement efforts, state and local police, along with agencies across the United States, will participate in a one day Border-to-Border initiative on May 24 to provide increased seat belt enforcement at state borders, reinforcing the states’ focus on safety.
PennDOT data shows there were 11,265 crashes in 2020 where at least one occupant was not wearing a seat belt, resulting in 348 fatalities.
