Downey : Court to Begin Experiment With Class on Seat Belt Law

Beginning Monday in the Downey Judicial District, drivers ticketed for failing to use safety belts or child car seats will be required to attend a two-hour class called “Family Safety in the Car” if they want the charges dismissed.

Downey Municipal Court is the first court in the state to implement the program, which is similar to traffic school that motorists may attend if they are ticketed for moving violations.

The new class is part of a pilot program developed by SafetyBeltSafe U.S.A. “Our goal is to encourage everyone to buckle up and to teach parents how to use car seats correctly,” said Cheryl Kim, coordinator of the program.

Under California law, children must ride in special safety seats until they are at least 4 years old and weigh more than 40 pounds. Drivers and other passengers must be buckled up with vehicle safety belts. Fines for the first offense are $20 for safety belt violations and $235 (including penalty assessments) for not using child car seats. Violators will pay $12 to attend the class, but it is open to other community members at no cost.

Traffic enforcement officers from the California Highway Patrol, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Downey Police Department and several other agencies participated in a seminar Monday addressing federal requirements for safety seats, problems with safety belts, incorrect use of safety belts and how to recognize a dangerous counterfeit car seat called Lin Lih, which has been sold illegally in the Los Angeles area.