Police from across Saskatchewan handed out 409 seatbelt and car seat tickets in February.
It was part of last month’s traffic safety spotlight, which was focused on seeing if motorists were buckling up.
According to Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI), 16 people in 2017 were killed in vehicle collisions because they weren’t properly restrained or not buckled up at all.
Broken down, those 409 offences included:
- 344 tickets for a driver failing to properly wear a seatbelt;
- 37 tickets to a passenger (aged 16 or older) failing to properly wear a seatbelt;
- 13 tickets for driving with a passenger under 16 not wearing a seatbelt; and
- 15 tickets for driving with a child not in the appropriate child restraint.
During a similar traffic safety spotlight, police issued 400 seatbelt and car seat tickets in February 2018. Results from February 2018 were submitted by police as of March 21, 2018.
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Drivers are responsible for ensuring all passengers under the age of 16 are buckled up. Not wearing a seatbelt or driving with a child improperly restrained, can result in a $175 ticket, and also costs the recipient three points under the Safe Driver Recognition program.
To ensure children are in the correct car seat, visit an SGI car seat clinic or book an appointment with a car seat technician.
Other results from the February spotlight included 224 impaired driving offences, 563 distracted driving offences and 4,028 speeding/aggressive driving offences.
Police in the province are currently focused on ticketing distracted drivers for the March spotlight.