Starting today and running through Sunday, February 11th, the Medford Police Department -- along with agencies throughout Oregon -- will be participating in the Oregon Department of Transportation's Safety Belt Enforcement Program.
Law enforcement agencies will be using federally-funded overtime to educate the public about safety belt and child safety seat laws including a law passed in 2017 increasing safety for children under age 2.
ODOT crash data for 2021 shows lack of safety belt or child restraint use was a factor in 32% or 119 of a total 377 motor vehicle occupant fatalities. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading nationwide cause of death for children ages one to 12 years old.
In 2021, 1,475 children under 12 were injured in Oregon traffic crashes and 16% were reported not using a child restraint system. It is estimated that car seats may increase crash survival by 71% for infants under one year old and by up to 59% for toddlers age one to four. Booster seats may reduce the chance of nonfatal injury among four to eight year olds by 45% compared to safety belts used alone.
In 2017, an Oregon law was passed requiring children to ride in a rear-facing safety seat until they are at least two years old. A child over age two must continue to ride in a car seat with harness or in a booster until they reach age eight or they are 4-feet-9-inches tall and the adult belt fits them correctly.
The 2017 law -- which extends the rear-facing requirement from the previous age one to two -- will better protect the child's head, neck and spine from potential crash injuries by spreading crash forces evenly across the seat and child's body.
