Click it or Ticket gets positive results

GRANT COUNTY - Local law enforcement issued fewer cellphone infractions to drivers during extra patrols compared to last year.

Between May 20 and June 2, more law enforcement patrolled Grant and Adams County roads looking for unbuckled drivers and passengers and motorists using cellphones or other electronic devices. The extra patrols are part of the Central Basin Traffic Safety Task Force.

During the Click it or Ticket patrols, 88 seatbelt infractions were given in addition to 10 cellphone and texting tickets. Last year in the two counties, officers also wrote 88 seatbelt infractions and 27 cellphone violations during the same time period, according to the task force.

Officers on extra patrol also issued 23 speeding violations, 30 child passenger safety infractions, 15 uninsured motorists and nine suspected or revoked license violations. Two misdemeanor warrant arrests were also made.

Statewide, officers wrote 2,321 seatbelt violations and 1,448 cellphone or texting tickets, both an decrease from last year's extra patrols. In 2012, 3,171 seatbelt violations and 1,059 cellphone violations were written.

The Central Basin Traffic Safety Task Force, law enforcement from Grant and Adams Counties, with more than 130 police and sheriff agencies statewide, worked during the extra patrols. The program is funded by a grant from the Washington Traffic Safety Commission.

All extra patrols are part of Target Zero, working to end traffic deaths and serious injuries in the state by 2030. For more information, visit www.targetzero.com.