Drivers beware -- ‘click it or ticket’

Ben Godar

For the next two weeks, Burbank Police will be on the lookout for

seat-belt violators.

Local officers will join law-enforcement agencies nationwide in

Operation ABC Mobilization, a combination of targeted enforcement and

national advertising geared at getting drivers to buckle up.

Ads sponsored by the National Safety Commission currently running

on television and radio warn motorists to “click it or ticket.”

Burbank motor officers will concentrate their efforts at freeway

off-ramps and major intersections, where Sgt. Pat Lynch said it is

easy for officers to see if people are wearing their seat belts.

In addition to focused patrols by motor officers, Lynch said

everyone in the department has been instructed to make seat-belt

enforcement a priority.

Every passenger in a car is legally required to wear a seat belt

anytime they are on a public street, and Lynch said Burbank residents

generally follow the law.

“Most of the people we write tickets for are transitory people who

are used to not wearing it in some jurisdiction where they can’t

enforce it as well,” he said.

Police also hope the campaign will help educate people about how

to wear their belts properly. Lynch said a woman killed in a

collision Oct. 10 on Verdugo Avenue might have survived if the

shoulder strap were worn correctly.

While police might be writing a few more seat-belt citations in

the next two weeks, Lynch said the revenue from a seat-belt ticket

does not match the cost of the officer’s time.

“Every time we write a seat-belt ticket, we’re losing money,” he

said. “The goal is just to educate people so they’ll be safer next

time.”