Starting Next Week, Police to Single Out Drivers Not Wearing Seat Belts

Starting on Monday, make sure to wear your seat belts at all times when you're driving in San Bruno. 

The , in conjunction with law enforcement agencies throughout the state, will be launching their 2011 Click It or Ticket campaign, which means that you could get fined heavily if caught driving without being buckled up. 

The fines for driving without a seatbelt are at least $142. If you're under 16, the fine is a whopping $445 for a first-time offense. 

In California, drivers use their seat belts 96.2 percent of the time, police Cmdr. Noreen Hanlon said in a statement. However, there are still nearly one million people who don't buckle up, she said. 

Law enforcement agencies say that most of the people who don't wear seat belts are those who drive at night. Of those who died nationwide in nighttime crashes during 2009, nearly two-thirds were not wearing seat belts. 

"We are very proud of California's seat belt and child safety seat use rates," said Christopher Murphy, director of the state's Office of Traffic Safety, which is funding the Click It or Ticket effort. "However, with nearly one million motorists still not buckling up, there is much more work to do. Reaching the last four percent of motorists is crucial to reaching our goal of zero deaths." 

The Click It or Ticket campaign will continue in San Bruno through June 5, Hanlon said.