Edmonds police are participating in this year’s annual statewide “Click It or Ticket” campaign that runs now through May 31. During these dates, motorists in Washington can expect to see extra seat belt patrols, which will include an emphasis on children who are not properly restrained.

The main focus for Edmonds police will be the Highway 99 corridor.

Mountlake Terrace currently is not funded for Click it or Ticket program, but it does participate in the Target Zero Impaired Driver emphasis patrols along with a number of others. The department also has grant money for Distracted Driver enforcement (cell phone and other distractive behaviors) this summer, which is a new program. All of these patrols are done in coordination with at minimum of three law enforcement agencies to have an impact on unsafe driving. The department also bases locations and times of day on statistical data from the state.

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of unintentional deaths among children in the United States. Between 2010 and 2012, in Washington State, 26 child passengers age 12 and younger died, and another 122 were seriously injured as a result of traffic crashes. The majority of these tragedies likely could have been avoided had these children been properly restrained, as dictated by Washington State law.

“Washington State law requires child passengers to be properly restrained until the motor vehicle safety belt fits properly,” said Cesi Velez, project manager for Washington Child Passenger Safety. “It also requires children under the age of 13 to ride in the back seat.” Car and booster seats can be very confusing, and educating the public on Washington law can also be challenging for law enforcement, Velez said, so law enforcement officers participating in the “Click It or Ticket” campaign have participated in a new online child passenger safety training.

For more information on Child Passenger Safety in Washington, visit washingtonCPS.com.