The California Highway Patrol is gearing up for its annual Memorial Day holiday enforcement period, which coincides with a nationwide effort to promote seat belt safety.
The maximum enforcement period begins at 6:01 tonight and continues through 11:59 p.m. Monday.
To help maintain safety on California’s roadways, CHP officers will be focusing primarily on impaired and reckless drivers, according to a news release from the agency. Last year’s operation included more than 1,100 arrests for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
CHP officers will also be looking for motorists who fail to buckle up.
“Our top priority is keeping the public safe, not just during the holidays but daily,” CHP Commissioner Sean Duryee said in a statement.
Last year, 42 people died in crashes across California during Memorial Day weekend, the CHP reported.
And nearly half of all those killed in a crash within CHP’s jurisdiction were not wearing seat belts, the agency said.
This year, the traffic enforcement period coincides with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s “Click it or Ticket” campaign, which runs through June 1.
CHP is urging the public to arrange for safe rides home before heading out over the holiday weekend.
“Buckling up is one of the easiest and most effective ways to protect yourself and your passengers in a crash,” Duryee said. “. Our officers will be out in force to help everyone arrive at their destination safely.”
What to know about seat belt safety
In 2023, more than 10,000 passenger vehicle occupants killed in crashes in the U.S. were not wearing seat belts. Among the young adults ages 18 to 34 killed in 2023, 60% were not buckled — one of the highest percentages for all age groups.
The “Click It or Ticket” campaign launched in California in 2005.
The cost of an adult seat belt violation in the state is $162, and there is a $490 fine for not properly restraining a child under 16. If the parent is not in the car, the driver gets the ticket.
The national seat belt use rate is at 90.7%, and in California, it’s 95.9%, according to the California Office of Traffic Safety.
California law requires all drivers and passengers 8 and older to wear seat belts.
Children younger than 8 must be properly secured in an appropriate child passenger safety seat or booster seat in the vehicle’s back seat. Children under 2 must ride in a rear-facing car seat unless they weigh more than 40 pounds or are taller than 40 inches.
According to the Office of Traffic Safety, “people who live in rural areas might believe that their crash exposure is lower.” But in 2016, there were 18,590 crash fatalities in rural locations, compared to 17,656 in urban areas. Of those fatalities, 49% who were killed in rural regions were not wearing seat belts, compared to 46% in urban locations.
Nighttime is especially deadly for unbuckled occupants, the agency said, noting that more than half of all passenger deaths occurred in vehicle crashes between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. among those who were not wearing a seat belt.