CLICK IT OR TICKET: BUCKLE UP TO SAVE YOUR LIFE

SUNNYVALE, Calif. – It only takes two seconds to buckle up when you get in the car. Not only can those two seconds literally save your life, they can also keep you from getting a ticket and a fine.

Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety (DPS) officers will be looking for drivers and passengers – including those in the back seat – who don’t buckle up, as part of the 2007 “Click It or Ticket” seat belt-enforcement campaign, May 14 through June 3. The program is a cooperative effort of the California Highway Patrol, Office of Traffic Safety, Department of Transportation, Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, the Department of Motor Vehicles and local law enforcement.

Since the 2005 debut of “Click It or Ticket,” the program has encouraged more vehicle occupants to buckle up. Seatbelt usage in Sunnyvale increased to 97 percent following last year’s campaign. And with good reason: besides the obvious safety risks, the fine for a seat belt violation is between $80 and $91 depending on the county and up to $350 for not properly restraining a child under 16. If the parent is not in the car, the driver gets the ticket.