The Marion County Sheriff’s Office Traffic Safety Team is joining other law enforcement agencies from throughout Oregon to focus on safety belt and child seat laws.
“Please join us as we work together to reduce traffic fatalities by encouraging the proper use of child restraints and safety belts,” the Marion County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release.
Through federally funded overtime, agencies have increased patrols on county roadways to help educate community members about the importance of the proper use of safety restraints.
In 2019, Oregon Department of Transportation crash data shows a lack of safety belt or child restraint use was a factor in 26 percent of motor vehicle occupant fatalities. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for children ages 1 – 12 years old nationwide.
In 2017, an Oregon law was passed requiring children under 2 years old to ride in a rear-facing safety seat. A child older than 2 must continue to ride in a car seat with harness or in a booster until they reach age 8 or 4 feet, 9 inches in height and the adult safety belt fits them correctly.
To ensure proper car seat installation, parents should consult the car seat manufacturer’s instructions, their vehicle owner’s manual, or visit a local child seat fitting station listed at .
