OXNARD : Motorists Stopped, Alerted to New Law

Motorists heading north along Saviers Road in Oxnard on Wednesday morning received words of warning from Oxnard police officers and the California Highway Patrol, as the two agencies joined forces to alert the public to a new seat belt law.

The officers from the two law enforcement agencies stopped 880 vehicles along the northbound lanes in the 4400 block of Saviers Road, handing out brochures on seat belt compliance, and asking riders who were not wearing their safety belts to buckle up.

“We are not asking for driver’s licenses or vehicle registration, but just reminding motorists of the new law,” CHP spokeswoman Staci Morse said.

The new law, which goes into effect Jan. 1, will allow police to stop drivers for failing to wear their seat belts. Police cannot stop a driver for failing to wear a safety belt, though a motorist can receive a ticket for not wearing a safety belt when stopped for any other violation, CHP Capt. Chuck Campbell said.

Although signs asking drivers to buckle up were posted 1,000 feet before the checkpoint, 114 drivers and 69 passengers failed to heed the warning. Also, 37 children were not in child-safety seats, Morse said.

“I saw drivers scrambling to get their belts on as they came through here,” Oxnard Police Officer Ernie Orozco said.

None of the drivers who were stopped complained, but most were proud to show police that they were wearing their safety belts. Some motorists caught with their belts unfastened, such as Tashida Jacobs, 18, of Oxnard appeared a little embarrassed.

Curtis Zettler, 55, of Port Hueneme took the delay in stride. “It’s my day off, so I don’t mind,” he said.

There have been 45 traffic fatalities in the county from January to November. “Of those, 13 were preventable, had the drivers and passengers been wearing safety belts,” Campbell said.