Thursday, May 19, 2016

Buckle Up, Collier! Click It Or Ticket Starts Monday

The Click It or Ticket seat belt enforcement campaign begins Monday across Florida.

The two-week campaign begins Monday, May 23, and lasts until Sunday, June 5.

The Collier County Sheriff’s Office will be out enforcing seat belt usage and child restraint laws.

Florida law requires drivers and passengers to fasten safety belts and/or child restraints.

The law applies to all cars, pickups and vans operating on Florida roads.

All passengers in the front seat must wear a seat belt. All passengers younger than 18 must wear a seat belt.
Exceptions to the law are: mail carriers, trash haulers, newspaper carriers, individuals with a physician’s note or individuals in the rear portion of a recreational vehicle.

In Florida, children 3 and younger must be secured in a federally approved child restraint seat. Children ages 4 and 5 must be secured by either a federally approved child restraint seat or safety belt. The driver is responsible for buckling up a child.

Florida has had a safety belt law since 1986, but law enforcement could only ticket unbuckled drivers when officers stopped them for other violations. The recent primary law allows law enforcement to stop motorists to for not wearing seat belts.