Traffic checkpoint targets seat belt safety
North Las Vegas first responders, Sunrise Children’s Hospital and Medical Center and a non-profit organization will conduct a traffic checkpoint Wednesday morning to encourage the proper wearing of seat belts, North Las Vegas police announced.
The mandatory checkpoint will be set up at 9 a.m. near Lake Mead Boulevard and Civic Center Drive. Vehicles carrying children will be inspected for seat belts and child safety restraints, police said. If a child is restrained improperly, SAFE KIDS — a non-profit dedicated to child safety — will educate drivers on how to fix the problem.
According to police, State Farm insurance may give out free car seats at the checkpoint. Nevada law says children under the age of 6 and weighing less than 60 pounds need to be in a car seat or booster seat. However, the officials hosting Wednesday’s checkpoint recommend using booster seats for kids until they are at least 8 years old and 80 pounds.
“Because SAFE KIDS is housed within Sunrise Children’s Trauma Center, we see the terrible consequences when seat belts and child safety seats are not used or not used properly,” SAFE KIDS director Jeanne Cosgrove Marsala said in a press release Tuesday. “Having law enforcement and fire department assistance is invaluable to the process of educating families to buckle up.”
Vehicles with unrestrained children can be reported at 1-877-911-5437.
Contact reporter Annalise Little at alittle@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0391.