East Dallas Times

By Allen Vaught, Texas House of Representatives

The Texas Department of Transportation, TxDOT, is launching its ninth annual “Click It or Ticket” campaign to ensure Texas drivers and passengers are buckled up properly according to Texas law.

TxDOT has partnered with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Texas Department of Public Safety, the National Safety Council, and others to make sure Texans know about recent changes to state law.

During the last legislative session, there was a major change made to Texas’ seat belt law, requiring all passengers, including adults and those in the back seat, to be buckled up. Additionally, a new child safety seat law went into effect last September, bringing Texas in line with guidelines set by national safety experts and followed by 46 other states.

Between May 24 and June 6, state troopers and local police officers will be patrolling Texas streets and roads to emphasize the importance of safety belt usage and they will ticket drivers and passengers who are not abiding by the new laws.

Fines range from $25 to $250, depending on the offense.

Child safety seats
The new law requires children under 4feet, 9 inches tall or younger than 8 to be restrained in a child safety seat (booster seat). Child safety seats are used for children who have outgrown their “car seats” but are too small for adult seat belts.

The seats add artificial height to the child so that the seat belt rests on the strongest part of the child’s body.

Although the law went into effect last fall, no citations were handed out because it was an educational phase for parents and caretakers. Beginning June 1, law enforcement will issue citations for child safety seat violations, with a first offense carrying a $25 fine. Second offenses are bumped up to $250.

The standard child safety seat costs about $15, but there are many organizations in Texas helping to provide low-income families with the appropriate size seat for their child, whether it is a booster seat or a “car seat.” If you or someone you know needs assistance with obtaining a child safety seat, please contact my office.

From now until the end of June, Safe Riders — an organization with the Department of State Health Services— will partner with TxDOT to travel the state and offer several booster seat check-up safety events.

The purpose of these events is to ensure caregivers have correctly installed the booster seats in their vehicles. These events are free but may require an appointment. There are several being offered in the Dallas/Forth Worth Metroplex during this upcoming week.

For a full list of check-up events, please follow this link:
ftp://ftp.dot.state.tx.us/pub/txdot-info/library/pubs/cit/click/cps_checkups.pdf

If you have questions regarding these resources or about the information provided, I invite you to contact my district office at (214) 370-8305 or my capitol office at (512) 463-0244. Please free to e-mail me as well at, and be sure to include your name and full address. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sources: Texas Department of Transportation, Safe Riders, Texas Department of State Health Services