GBPD to strictly enforce Click It Or Ticket
BY JOE CULPEPPER Gulf Breeze News joe@gulfbreezenews.com

Gulf Breeze Police will strictly enforce vehicular seatbelt usage laws during the upcoming Click It or Ticket awareness campaign that starts May 19 and extends to June 1.

"It's a busy traveling time these next couple of weeks with school getting out, people going on vacation and stuff," Sgt. Andy Johnson of the Gulf Breeze Police Department said. "It usually is a high time in Florida for traffic fatalities.

"It'll basically be zero tolerance for seat-belt infractions, child-seat belts, adults and passengers. We write seat-belt tickets year-round; it's one of those things that everybody in the department believes strongly in.

"But during these two weeks, we'll really be looking for (violations). We're not cutting any slack on it."

Florida law requires all frontseat occupants to be restrained. The driver can be ticketed if any passenger under age 18 is not buckled up. Children ages 6-17 must be belted regardless of which seats they occupy.

Children through age 3 must be secured in a separate child seat or a vehicle manufacturer's integrated child safety seat. It's required that children ages 4 and 5 be buckled in a separate car seat, a manufacturer's integrated child safety seat or with a safety belt.

A seat-belt infraction for an adult is considered a secondary violation and results in a ticket for $76.50. For an improperly restrained child 5 and under, the primary violation will result in a fine of $123.50.

Johnson said motorists can't be stopped just for an alleged seat-belt violation.

"But if we happen to stop you for speeding or running a red light or faulty equipment or any other primary offenses, you are going to receive a citation for seat-belt infractions in addition to a citation for the infraction that prompted the stop," Johnson said.

"Not only are you going to end up with one ticket. You're probably going to end up with two."

The Florida Department of Transportation reports that automobiles are the No. 1 killer or injurer of young children in the state. Studies show that proper seat-belt usage can reduce fatalities by 40 to 50 percent and serious injures by 45 to 55 percent.

"People complain a lot about Gulf Breeze being a speed trap," Johnson said. "They think seat belts are just another excuse for us to write tickets.

"In fact, though, it's the other way around. If all we wanted to do was write tickets, we wouldn't be advertising this. I'd rather the word get out for people to wear their seat belts so I don't have to work any more bad crashes and have traffic fatalities.

"I have knocked on the doors of many houses over 16 years telling mom and dad that their daughter or son or a loved one is dead," Johnson said. "I'd rather write 1,000 seat-belt tickets than do that even once."

Johnson said motorists with small children can visit the Gulf Breeze Police Department, where three certified experts will gladly inspect or properly install child safety seats for free.

"Most of the time, we'll give people credit if they've made a valid effort to get their child safety seat properly installed," Johnson said.

"But during Click It Or Ticket, it will be zero tolerance. It's better to be safe than sorry."