New Seatbelt LawEffective September 1, 2009, a new law passed by the Texas state legislature went into effect extending the seatbelt requirement to all backseat passengers, regardless of age. ALL persons riding in a vehicle equipped with seat belts are required to wear them according to manufacturer instructions, EVEN in the back seat. Additionally, all children under the age of 8 must be in an approved child safety seat unless the child is at least 4 feet, 9 inches tall. Last year, the Texas Transportation Institute reported 91.24% safety belt usage in the state. For every percent increase in safety belt use, 25 fewer Texans will be killed in traffic crashes and another 586 will escape serious injury. The Texas Department of Public Safety Click It or Ticket (CIOT) enforcement campaign is a high visibility enforcement effort designed to detect violators of safety belt and child safety seat laws in Texas. Young drivers are more likely to be hurt or killed in a traffic crash than any other age group, and most teens that die in crashes are not buckled up. That’s why Texas is joining three other states in a stepped-up safety belt enforcement campaign targeted at 16- to 20-year-olds. Tarrant County is one of the top five counties in Texas in unbuckled teen fatalities, ages 16-20. The North Richland Hills Police Department has been selected to participate in this initiative. We will have extra officers focusing on gaining compliance on seat belt usage by teens during the months of October 2009, February 2010 and May 2010. For more information on this new law and other new laws in Texas click here or contact the NRH Police Department at 817-427-7000.
|