The Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office, along with other law enforcement agencies, will be participating in extra patrol and enforcement with an emphasis on seatbelts/child restraints, texting, and speed between May 18 and May 31, 2015.
This safety blitz is funded by the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) and run in conjunction with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s annual “Click It or Ticket” campaign.
Safety belts reduce fatality risk by 45 to 60 percent. Child safety seats reduce fatality risk for infants under 1 year old by 71 percent and for toddlers aged 1 to 4 years old by 54 percent. And yet, 31 percent or 61 of Oregon’s 198 occupant fatalities in 2012 were reportedly unrestrained. ODOT estimates that approximately half of these fatalities could have been avoided with proper restraint use. In 2012, Umatilla County, Oregon had 32 children injured in traffic crashes, with one resulting in death.
Traffic studies continue to show unbelted or improperly restrained occupants are five times more likely to be ejected from a vehicle than occupants who are belted properly. Odds of surviving being ejected from a vehicle are estimated to be one in four.
On Jan. 1, 2014 the Oregon Revised Statute concerning operating a motor vehicle while using a mobile communication device (ORS 811.507) was upgraded from a Class D to a Class C violation, increasing the base fine from $110 to $160. Failure to properly maintain a vehicle’s safety belt is also a Class C violation, while failing to wear a safety belt is a Class D violation.
ODOT provides the following safety belt reminders:
ADULT BELT LAW: Oregon law requires that all motor vehicle operators and passengers be properly secured with a safety belt or safety harness. Limited exemptions are allowed under ORS 811.215. Vehicle owners are required to maintain belt systems in working order.
CHILD RESTRAINT LAW: Child passengers must be restrained in approved child safety seats until they weigh 40 pounds or reach the upper weight limit for the car seat in use. Infants must ride rear-facing until they reach both one year of age and 20 pounds.
BOOSTER SEAT LAW: Children more than 40 pounds or who have reached the upper weight limit for their forward-facing car seat must use boosters until they are at least 4 feet 9 inches tall or age eight and the adult belt fits correctly.
