Letter: TxDOT's 'Please Be Seated' program
On Sept. 8, 2000, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) unveiled the “Please Be Seated” hotline to report license plate numbers of “drivers” who violate the child safety seat law.
The “Please Be Seated” hotline number is not a “Big Brother is Watching You” program, but rather an opportunity to educate motorists about the child safety seat law. Texas law requires that all children younger than 8 years old, unless they are taller than 4 feet 9 inches, be secured in a child safety seat whenever they ride in a vehicle. Older children who have outgrown a booster seat must be buckled with a seat belt. Failure to properly restrain a child can result in a ticket of up to $250.
The goal of this program is to save lives and reduce injuries and fatalities by increasing child safety seat usage. Since 2000 there have been 5,567 calls reported since the launching of the program; 4,849 letters mailed to the owners of license plates reported on the hotline and 718 non-verifiable license plates due to the reporting of an incorrect number or a license plate outside of Texas.
The Texas Department of Transportation would like to thank the concerned citizens who have called the “Please Be Seated” hotline (806/748-4525) and because of our efforts, children are being transported safer.
Karen Mitchell/ Texas Department of Transportation
Behavioral Traffic Safety Section
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Letter to the editor TxDOT's Please Be Seated program
