‘Click It or Ticket’ campaign underway in Coachella Valley

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) - The Palm Springs Police Department and other law enforcement agencies in the Coachella Valley announced today they will increase patrols to enforce seat belt laws during the statewide Click It or Ticket campaign.

The campaign began Monday and runs until June 1, and focuses on identifying drivers, passengers and children who are not properly restrained in vehicles.

"Wearing a seat belt should be automatic for all drivers and passengers every trip,'' Desert Hot Springs Police Chief Steven Shaw said in a statement. "Seat belts save lives, and everyone -- front seat to back, child and adult -- needs to remember always to buckle up."

According to the Palm Springs Police Department, 11,302 people nationwide were killed in crashes in 2022 due to not wearing seat belts, including 842 deaths in California.

Under California law, children under age 2 must ride in a rear-facing car seat unless they weigh 40 pounds or more. Children age 8 or older who are at least 4 feet, 9 inches tall must be secured in a booster seat or properly fitted seat belt, police said.