It’s part of the aggressive driving campaign

BOISE -- Idaho State Police and other law enforcement agencies across the state will be on the lookout this week for drivers and passengers not wearing their seatbelts.

Their efforts are part of this month's aggressive driving campaign.

In Idaho, police can’t pull a driver over for not wearing a seatbelt, but now as they look for aggressive drivers, they will also be citing those who are not wearing seatbelts.

"I have seen children not secured, adults, teenagers all sorts of people not wearing their seatbelt and sometimes they don't realize until I point it out at a traffic stop," said ISP Trooper Janet Murakami.

Murakami says police always enforce the seatbelt law, but this week they are stepping up their efforts for the safety of drivers.

"Local research in 2006 showed that 116 Idahoans were killed due to not wearing their seatbelts," said Murakami.

That same study showed nearly 400 people could have avoided critical injuries just by buckling up.

"It is important to wear the seatbelt and wear it properly. The seatbelt does need to be worn across the shoulder and hips," said Murakami.

Murakami says with the Memorial Day weekend approaching it’s important for everyone to take the seatbelt law seriously.

"There's going to be an increase of traffic on the roadway and our goal is to make the roadway safer," said Murakami.

If you are caught not wearing your seatbelt the violation carries a $10 fine, but the penalty is much stiffer if a child is found unrestrained.