Amarillo drivers beware: Click It or Ticket is in full swing in the yellow city.
According to the Amarillo Police Department, Click It or Ticket began in Amarillo today, May 21st and will run through Sunday, June 3rd. APD will be participating in the national program through a grant from the Texas Department of Transportation. The grant will fund extra officers on patrol to concentrate on seatbelt and child restraint violations by Amarillo drivers. APD says that enforcement during this time will be "strict."
Each person in a motor vehicle will be expected to wear a seatbelt during this time. All children younger than 8 years of age must ride in a child safety seat unless they are taller than 4'9" tall. Children must also be fastened in the seat in the fashion prescribed the instructions for the safety seat system. Seatbelts are also expected to be worn properly, and not under an arm.
The campaign is kicking off as Amarillo has already experienced twelve fatal crashes this year. Of those crashes, 38 percent of those killed were not wearing seatbelts. Seatbelt usage in Amarillo is also believed to be around 85 percent.
For more information, please visit police.amarillo.gov.
Photo by Texas Department of Transportation