MISSOURI STATE HIGHWAY PATROL
a division of the
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY
Troop B Headquarters - 308 Pine Crest Drive - Macon, Missouri 63552
NEWS RELEASE
For further information please contact: Sergeant Brent J. Bernhardt
(660) 385-2132
B120812
August 27, 2012
EMPHASIS: Troop B Officers To Participate In Child Passenger Safety Enforcement Program
Captain James E. Wilt, commanding officer of Troop B, Macon, announces Troop B officers will be conducting a child passenger safety enforcement operation from September 16, 2012 through September 22, 2012, which coincides with the national Child Passenger Safety Week. During the enforcement effort, troopers will place special emphasis on taking enforcement action if drivers (and their passengers) who are stopped for traffic violations are not properly restrained. Officers will adhere to a zero tolerance policy regarding seat belt use--meaning that when officers encounter seat belt or child restraint violations, citations will be issued.
Motorists are reminded that every driver and front seat occupant of a passenger vehicle and all occupants less than 16 years of age are required to be secured in a properly fastened and adjusted safety belt or child restraint seat. Children less than four years old are required to be in an approved child restraint seat. Children ages four to seven years old, and who weigh at least 40 pounds, but less than 80 pounds, and are less than 4’9” tall, must be secured in a child passenger restraint system or booster seat appropriate for that child. Persons under 18 years of age operating or riding in a truck must wear a safety belt, regardless of the truck’s licensed gross weight. Any driver who falls under the guidelines of a Missouri graduated driver’s license and their passengers are required to wear a safety belt, regardless of age or vehicle type.
"There is no doubt that seat belts and child restraint seats have saved the lives of many individuals involved in traffic crashes," stated Captain Wilt. "Please do your part in reducing Missouri traffic fatalities by making sure everyone in your vehicle is properly restrained."
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