BAKERSFIELD, Calif.(KBAK/KBFX) — The Bakersfield Police Department is participating in this year’s “Click it or Ticket” campaign, urging drivers and passengers to buckle up and ensure children are secured in properly fitted car seats. Through June 1, 2025, additional officers will be on patrol to identify individuals not wearing seat belts, including children not properly secured in safety seats appropriate for their age.
The BPD Community Relations Unit’s Car Seat Safety program offers free inspections to assist drivers in correctly installing car seats. According to the BPD, 11,302 people nationwide who died in crashes in 2022 were not wearing seat belts. In California, 842 fatalities in 2022 involved individuals not wearing seat belts, marking an 8.4 percent decrease from 2021.
California law mandates that children under 2 years old must ride in a rear-facing car seat unless they weigh 40 pounds or more or are 40 or more inches tall. Once these milestones are reached, children under 8 years old must still be secured in a car seat or booster seat. Children under 8 may not ride in the front seat unless the vehicle lacks a rear, forward-facing seat. Children 8 and older, or at least 4 feet 9 inches tall, may use a booster seat but must at least wear a properly fitted safety belt…