Arizona authorities to launch seat belt and child safety campaign

PHOENIX — The Governor’s Office of Highway Safety announced Friday that authorities will be strictly enforcing Arizona’s seat belt and child safety seat laws.

Partnering with the Peoria Police Department and other local agencies, the campaign is based upon high visibility traffic enforcement with a “zero-tolerance” approach towards seat belts and child safety seat usage, according to a press release.

Arizona currently conducts enforcement under the secondary seat belt law and a primary child safety seat law.

It will run from May 22 to June 4 and is part of the National Click It or Ticket campaign as law enforcement will be picking up its efforts in enforcing safety.

The state’s own motto is “Buckle Up Arizona… It’s the Law.”

Motor vehicle collisions continue to be the leading cause of death and injuries in Arizona.

When seat belts are worn correctly, crash-related injuries and deaths drop by 50%.

For children’s seat belts, it drops the rate by 71% for infants (0-1 years old), 54% for toddlers (1-4) and 45% for children 4-8 in properly installed booster seats, according to the release.