Boiler Bay Beacon
The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office is cracking down on seat belt and child safety seat violations with a focused enforcement campaign from January 26 to February 8, 2026.
Deputies are increasing patrols countywide, funded by the Oregon IMPACT Traffic Safety Grant, to add dedicated hours for preventing injuries and saving lives on local roads.
Oregon’s seat belt use remains among the nation’s highest, with the latest observational survey (2024) estimating 95.53% usage—though it dipped from 97.01% in 2023. Unrestrained occupants continue to contribute to tragedies, with failure to wear seat belts factoring into roughly half of traffic fatalities in patterns seen in recent years.
Preliminary data shows Oregon’s statewide traffic fatalities decreased to 529 in 2024 (from 587 in 2023), signaling progress amid ongoing risks like improper restraints. For children, in 2023, 1,972 under age 12 were injured in crashes statewide, with about 11% not using proper child restraint systems.
Key reminders from the Sheriff’s Office:
- Buckle up—every trip, every seat. Oregon enforces this as a primary violation, allowing stops solely for non-use.
- Children require age- and size-appropriate restraints: rear-facing until at least age 2 (and longer per best practices), forward-facing or booster until age 8 or 4’9″ tall, then proper adult belt fit. Keep kids in the back seat until age 13.
Buckle up—every trip, every seat. Using the right child seat is one of the simplest, most effective ways to protect families.
