You Can Face a Ticket If You Don’t Clickit! Buckle Up When Driving

Do you wear your seatbelt while behind the wheel in Yakima? Yakima Police say on average 94 percent of drivers in Yakima County wear seatbelts. The rate sits at 93 percent statewide.

SPECIAL CLICKIT OR TICKET PATROLS ARE UNDERWAY

But that still means not everyone is wearing a seatbelt and it's the reason why Yakima Police are conducting special emphasis patrols this week looking for drivers who don't buckle up. Drivers who are caught not wearing a belt could face a $124 ticket.

SO WHAT ABOUT YOUR KIDS?

In Washington State children 4 and older must ride in a car or booster seat until they are 4'9″ feet tall. Taller kids must be secured by a properly fitted seat belt (typically starting at 8-12 years old). State officials say kids up to age 13 must ride in the back seat when practical to do so.

IT'S YOUNG PEOPLE WHO ARE IGNORING THE BELTS

Washington State Patrol Troopers say each year more than 100 people who are not wearing a seatbelt die in crashes in Washington State. Most of the victims are between the ages of 21 and 25.

THE MOST RECENT FATAL CRASH IN YAKIMA

The most recent fatal crash in which no one was wearing a seatbelt was reported on I-82 in Yakima on March 16. Washington State Patrol Troopers say 20-year-old Jazmine Gutierrez was speeding in the eastbound side of the freewaywhen she struck the rear end of another vehicle. Gutierrez died at the scene of the crash. Two people in the other vehicle were injured. Troopers say seatbelts were ignored by all involved in the crash which remains under investigation.