In an effort to save more lives on Arizona’s roadways this month the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety is partnering with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office and other local law enforcement agencies to enforce Arizona’s seat belt and child safety seat laws. The enforcement mobilization began this week and will continue through June 4.

Arizona presently conducts enforcement under a secondary seat belt law and a primary child safety seat law. The enforcement campaign is based upon high visibility traffic enforcement with a “zero-tolerance” approach toward seat belt and child safety seat usage. As part of a the national Click It or Ticket seat belt enforcement campaign, law enforcement agencies across the state will be stepping up traffic enforcement patrols and increasing other enforcement efforts to drive home the message: “Buckle Up Arizona…It’s the Law!”

Despite widespread efforts to educate drivers about the importance of wearing seat belts, motor vehicles collisions continue to be the leading cause of death and serious injuries in Arizona.

“Regular seat belt use is the single most effective way to protect people and reduce fatalities in motor vehicle crashes,” according to a press release concerning ongoing efforts to increase seatbelt use. “When worn correctly, seat belts have proven to reduce serious crash-related injuries and deaths by about 50%. The proper and consistent use of child safety seats has been found to reduce the risk of fatal injury by 71% for infants (younger than one year old) and by 54% for toddlers (one to four years old) in passenger cars. Properly installed booster seats reduce the risk of serious injury by 45% among children ages four to eight years old.”

Funding for this campaign was provided by the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety.