Police all over Saskatchewan have issued hundreds of tickets for seat belt violations during February.
During that month’s traffic safety spotlight on occupant safety, in which law enforcement was on the lookout for improperly restrained drivers and passengers, police issued 398 tickets for failing to wear a seatbelt or properly secure children in vehicles.
That is according to an SGI news release on the topic.
The numbers are: 348 tickets to a driver failing to wear a seatbelt, 29 tickets for a passenger failing to wear a seatbelt and eight tickets for a passenger under 16 failing to wear a seatbelt (with the ticket issued to the driver).
There were also 13 tickets for improper use or installation of a child restraint.
On that last point, SGI is reminding parents and caregivers to ensure a child’s booster seat is the right size and is adjusted and installed properly. Free SGI car seat clinics are available.
According to SGI numbers, improper or non-seatbelt use contributed to 17 deaths and 194 injuries in 2015 in Saskatchewan, with 73 injuries to children under age seven.
Also in February, police reported 4,168 offences for speeding or aggressive driving, 281 that were related to impaired driving and 348 for distracted driving including 266 for cellphone use.
According to SGI, police will continue to focus on vulnerable road user safety throughout April.
