The Roseburg Police Department will be participating in a safety belt enforcement blitz from August 20th through September 2nd.  Our ability to participate in this focused event is due to grant funds we received through the Oregon Department of Transportation - Transportation Safety Division.  The focus of this enforcement event will be for safety belt usage and child restraints, texting and speed.

ODOT crash data for 2016 shows lack of safety belt or child restraint use was a factor in 26% or 89 of a total 343 motor vehicle occupant fatalities.

• Beginning Monday, August 20 and extending through Sunday, September 2, lawenforcement agencies throughout Oregon will use federally funded overtime to educate the public about safety belt and child seat laws including a newly passed law increasing safety for children under age two.

• Motor vehicle crashes are the leading nationwide cause of death for children ages one through twelve years old. In 2016, 1,582 children under age nine were injured in Oregon traffic crashes and five children died. 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 aged 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.

• Safety belts used correctly can reduce the risk of major crash injury or death by up tosixty- five percent.

• A new Oregon law for children under age two requires they use a child seat with harness in a rear-facing position, unless the child turned one year of age prior to May 26, 2017. A childover age two or who turned one year of age prior to May 26, 2017, must continue to ride in a car seat with harness or in a booster until they reach age eight or 4’ 9" in height and the adult belt fits them correctly.

• The new law, which extends the rear-facing requirement from the previous age one to age two, will better protect the child’s head, neck, and spine from potential crash injuries. Research has shown that children in the second year of life are five times less likely to die or be seriously injured in a crash if they ride rear-facing. This is because a rear-facing seat spreads crash forces evenly across the seat and child’s body while also limiting forward or sideways motion of the head.

• For help selecting or installing child car seats, consult the seat manufacturer’s instructions, your vehicle owner’s manual, or visit a local child seat fitting station listed at: https://www.nhtsa.gov/equipment/car-seats-and-booster-seats#inspection-inspection or at http://oregonimpact.org/car-seat-resources.htm.

• Many car seat fitting stations will host special events during National Child Passenger Safety Week September 23 through 29, with Certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians on-hand to assist families with selection and use of car seats and boosters.