Motorists Must Restrain Themselves, Police Warn

For a two-week period beginning Friday, traffic cops in Washington, Oregon and British Columbia will crack down on people not wearing seat belts and those who don’t strap their children into safety seats.

People caught unbuckled or with their kids climbing around inside a car unrestrained will get a $66 ticket, Washington State Patrol Lt. Bruce Clark said Tuesday.

“No breaks,” Clark added.

Patrols also will be looking harder for speeders and drunken drivers during the Three Flags Safety Belt Emphasis program, which will run until July 7.

The program is sponsored by the Washington Traffic Safety Commission.

Spokane County sheriff’s deputy Randy Strzelecki said the Three Flags program is a good way to remind the public about seat belt and child seat laws and why those laws are on the books.

“We always enforce the law, but this serves as a real eye-opener for people,” Strzelecki said.

Research shows that people using their seat belts and child seats survive 50 percent more car crashes than those who don’t, Strzelecki added.

“Those are better odds than winning the Lotto,” said Marty Lawrence of the Medical Lake Police Department traffic unit.

Statistics show that nearly 80 percent of drivers and passengers in Washington currently use seat belts, up from about 20 percent in the early 1980s.

Officers will conduct surveys before and after the Three Flags program to see what the latest numbers are, and to determine if the program had any effect, Clark said.

“Obviously, our goal is 100 percent,” he said.

, DataTimes MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: The law Everyone riding in a car is required to wear a seat belt, including children under 10. Kids under the age of 3 must be secured in an approved child restraint seat.