May 17th, 2017 by WCBC Radio
As motorists take to the roads this Memorial Day holiday, area troopers, deputies and police officers are urging everyone to buckle up. Beginning May 22nd, law enforcement officials will be out in full force, taking part in the 2017 national Click It or Ticket seat belt enforcement mobilization and cracking down on motorists who are not belted.
Law enforcement in our area met to discuss the importance of seat belts and strategies to increase usage and to prevent injuries as a result of traffic collisions. County Sheriffs from Jefferson, Morgan and Berkeley Counties along with commanders of the Maryland State Police and Frederick County, VA Sheriff’s office all met to develop a plan for this year’s. “Click It or Ticket.” campaign.
At 4:00 p.m. on May 22, area law enforcement will partner with agencies across half of the United States in mobilizing the Click It or Ticket (CIOT) “Border to Border” Operation. Law enforcement agencies will join forces to provide increased seat belt enforcement at State borders, sending a zero tolerance message to the public: driving or riding unbuckled will result in a ticket, no matter what State.
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 9,874 passenger vehicle occupants killed in 2015 were not wearing their seat belts at the time of the crash. And unbelted fatalities are more prevalent at night than during the daytime: 51 percent of those killed in 2015 during the overnight hours of 6 p.m. to 5:59 a.m. were unbelted at the time of the crash.
Tragically, these national statistics are mirrored locally. Daylight or darkness law enforcement will be out enforcing seat belt laws that have proven to save lives. Seat belts save thousands of lives every year, but far too many motorists are still not buckling up, especially at night when the risk of getting in a crash is even greater. Buckling up is not optional; it’s the difference between life and death in a crash. Violators of seat belt laws can expect to pay fines of $25 to $150 depending on jurisdiction.
From 1975 through 2015, seat belts have saved an estimated 344,447 lives nationwide. So while this year’s Click It or Ticket enforcement mobilization runs from May 22 – June 4, officers will continue to save lives by enforcing seat belt laws year-round.
For more on the national Click It or Ticket mobilization, please visit www.nhtsa.gov.
