Seat Belt Law Enforcement Blitz Clarification

OLYMPIA, Wash., May 6 -- A media announcement about an upcoming seat belt law enforcement blitz has caused some confusion among reporters.

Under Washington law, police need "probable cause" to pull over any driver. Drivers will be pulled over for "primary" offenses such as speeding and, if they are not buckled up, they will be issued a seat belt citation, along with a speeding ticket.

The seat belt enforcement blitz begins May 20.

The primary enforcement seat belt law goes into effect June 13. When the primary enforcement seat belt law is in effect, police will be able to pull people over who are not buckled up. Right now, they can pull over drivers who have unbuckled children in the car.

A seat belt ticket costs $86. A driver can be issued tickets for every unbuckled person in the car who is under age 16. People age 16 and older can get their own tickets, even if they are not driving.