The Riverside County Sheriff's Department is "joining agencies across the country" for this year's Click It or Ticket campaign, which promotes the importance of wearing a seat belt.
To support the campaign, which runs May 6 to June 5, the department 's Perris station will have additional deputies on patrol throughout the city of Perris looking for drivers and passengers who aren't buckled up.
“Please buckle up. Wearing a seat belt is the most effective thing you can do to protect yourself and your passengers in a traffic collision,” Sgt. Kasim Bikul of the Sheriff's Department said in an April 29 press release.
The Riverside County Sheriff's Department will collaborate with the city of Perris during the campaign, the release stated. As part of the safety effort, officers will watch out for drivers who do not properly secure children in their safety seats.
Under California state law, children under 2 years old must ride in a rear-facing car seat unless they weigh 40 or more pounds, or are 40 or more inches tall, according to the release. Additionally, children under the age of 8 must be in a car seat or booster seat in the backseat. Children who are 8 years of age or have reached 4-foot-9 may ride in a booster seat but must be secured by a seat belt.
Vehicle occupants 16 years and older must comply with California's mandatory seat belt law, according to the release.