Frisco Mom Ticketed For Wearing Seat Belt Incorrectly
Follow CBSDFW.COM: Facebook | Twitter
FRISCO (CBS11) - "Click it or ticket" is a phrase drivers hear a lot when it comes to importance of wearing a seat belt while on the road.
But a Frisco mother found out you can "click it" and still get a ticket.
Whitney Dunbar was driving to the mall with one of her three kids Tuesday morning when she had to make an unplanned stop on Preston Road.
"I was pulled over and I stopped and the police officer asked me if I knew why I was being pulled over," said Dunbar.
The 29-year-old wasn't speeding and was wearing her seat belt, or so she thought.
"He told me I was wearing my seat belt incorrectly," said Dunbar.
Dunbar's arm was over the shoulder strap.
"I had a sick baby in my car and I was trying to hand her a piece of fruit," she said. "I had to give it to her, I'm still watching and still being safe. I don't ever get tickets but wearing the shoulder strap over me is just super inconvenient."
But that inconvenience is not as bad as the ticket she received from the Frisco officer, which came with a hefty fine.
"The ticket was $175. I'm a stay-at-home mom with three kids," said Dunbar.
Frisco Police informed CBS11 in a statement that the seat belt was "obviously worn improperly and warrants a citation. As always, it's the officer's discretion as to whether or not the citation is issued," according to Community Services Division of the Frisco Police Department, Officer Benito Valdez.
Dunbar expressed her frustration on Facebook to alert her friends about a law that is seldom enforced. A law, which she believes should have resulted in a warning rather than a citation.
"I don't understand how a motorcyclist doesn't have to wear a helmet but you're being ticketed for not wearing a seat belt the way he wanted you to wear it," said Dunbar.
Dunbar said she doesn't want to come out as bashing police but rather questions whether she should face such a harsh penalty.
She plans to fight the citation in court.
(©2016 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
