Grants police to crack down on seat belt, child seat laws

Grants Police Lt. Maxine Spidel shows the correct way to install a child safety seat into a vehicle, to help protect children from injury during accidents. Police in Grants will be watching for passengers not wearing seat belts, or restraining children during the "Click it or Ticket" enforcement through June 9. [Courtesy Photo]

By Jim Tiffin
Cibola County Bureau

GRANTS — As part of a special enforcement program through June 3, police in Grants are targeting pickups, SUVs, and passenger car drivers who are not wearing seat belts.

As part of the "Click It Or Ticket," national enforcement through the first Sunday in June, police have geared up with extra officers on the street for this and the pickup program.

The "Buckle Up in Your Truck" campaign is aimed at pickup drivers and SUVs, because pickups and SUVs roll over easier than passenger cars, Grants Police Lt. Corey Allen said.

"There is a significant decrease in the severity of injuries when a driver is wearing a seatbelt," Grants Police Lt. Maxine Spidle said.

Soon, the department will have two officers who will be certified as "child safety seat technicians." These officers can properly assist with the correct installation of child safety seats in vehicles so children will be as protected as possible from injury, should there be an accident.

Grants Police Chief Marty Vigil said Tuesday that Spidle and Sgt. John Castaneda are going to a three-day special school this week to become certified.

"There are still a lot of people who do not know how to properly install a child safety seat," Spidle said.

"When I go to the scene of an accident, I know whether the driver and passengers have been wearing a seatbelt," Allen said. "It would have prevented them from being thrown through the front windshield."

Each year, more than 42,000 people die in vehicle accidents in the United States. More than half of all passenger vehicle occupants that die were not wearing a seat belt, according to information provided by Spidle.

Since the "Click It Or Ticket" program started regionally in the five state area in 2004, overall seat belt use has increased 12.9 percent. Seat belt use in pickups has increased 14.4 percent. That means three million more drivers and passengers are buckling up today than just three years ago, Spidle stated in information provided to the Independent.

On the Net:

Tips on avoiding rollover accidents: www.actsinc.org/rollovers.cfm

Buckle Up in Your Truck:
www.buckleupinyourtruck.com

To contact reporter Jim Tiffin, call (505) 287-2197, or fax: (505) 287-2581.