On February 7th, 2025 officers with The Dalles Police Department will be taking part in a high visibility traffic patrol, with an emphasis on seatbelt and child seatbelt/car seat safety enforcement. This event is in conjunction with Oregon Department of Transportation and is meant to educate and remind drivers and passengers in Oregon about the importance of being properly restrained while in a moving vehicle. This event will begin mid-morning and continue into the afternoon, and officers will keep statistics on each stop made. These statistics will be later entered into a database managed by ODOT. Below are a few statistics sent to us by ODOT related to seatbelts and child restraints, you will also find a link to a YouTube video explaining seatbelt and child seat laws:
• In 2022, 11,302 people killed in car crashes were not wearing seat belts.
• In 2022, more unrestrained passenger vehicle occupants died in traffic crashes at night (6,252) than during the day (4,949).
• In 2022, 57% of passenger vehicle occupants killed at night (6 p.m.–5:59 a.m.) were not wearing their seat belts.
• Among young adults 18 to 34 killed while riding in passenger vehicles in 2022, more than half (60%) were completely unrestrained — one of the highest percentages for all age groups.
• In 2022 alone, the 8- to 12-year-old age group had the highest number of fatalities (326) among children in traffic crashes. This age group is often found to be using the wrong type of restraint for their age and size. Moving a child passenger into a booster seat or adult seat belt before they are the right age and size can increase the risk of injury and death.
• In passenger cars, car seats reduce the risk of fatal injury by 71% for infants and by 54% for toddlers 1 to 4 years old in passenger cars. For infants and toddlers in light trucks, the corresponding reductions are 58% and 59%, respectively.
: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFC2K2AfdJM&feature=youtu.be