Free Ride Over on Seat Belt Law
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The free ride is over today for motorists who may have ignored California’s new seat belt law.
Most police agencies throughout the state have observed a 60-day moratorium on issuing citations to drivers or passengers who do not fasten their seat belts while a vehicle is in motion. But the grace period ended Friday.
Starting today, California Highway Patrol Commissioner James Smith said, “if you are not wearing a seat belt, you are risking a citation.”
His words were echoed by spokesmen for the Los Angeles Police and Sheriff’s departments, who said they expect no serious enforcement problems.
Officers are only authorized to issue seat belt citations if they notice seat belts are not being used after having stopped a car for another violation.
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