Both the Hood River and The Dalles Police Departments will be taking part in a statewide seatbelt and child safety enforcement effort beginning this Monday and running through February 8.  The federally funded campaign is design to educate the public on Oregon’s seat belt and child passenger safety laws, with an emphasis on protecting young children.  Oregon law was updated in 2017 to require children to ride in a rear-facing seat until at least two years of age, with those over two riding in an approved car seat with a harness or a booster seat until they reach the age of eight years old or are they are at least four feet nine inches tall, and until the adult seat belt fits correctly.  In 2023, the lack of seat belt or child restraint was a contributing factor in 111 out of 365 motor vehicle occupant fatalities in Oregon.