From May 23 to June 5, 2016, local law enforcement personnel will participate in the national Click It or Ticket campaign in an effort to save lives through increased seat belt use. This education and enforcement period comes ahead of the Memorial Day holiday, one of the busiest travel weekends of the year.
According to research conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, while 88.5% of passengers buckled up in 2015, almost 50% of those involved in fatal crashes nationwide were not restrained. In some states, as many as 70% of people involved in fatal crashes are not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the collision. Here in California, more than a half million people travel our roadways without proper restraints. These facts gravely highlight the need for increased education, enforcement, and awareness of seat belt use.
During this two-week period, law enforcement agencies statewide are joining the Click It or Ticket effort. This year, NHTSA is aiming to increase campaign participation by coordinating a “Coast to Coast” seat belt education and enforcement effort with the California Highway Patrol and law enforcement around the I-10, I-40, I-70 and I-80 corridors.
“As law enforcement officers, we have a special role in helping protect the safety of our citizens,” said Newport Beach Police Chief Jon T. Lewis. “Unfortunately, we see the deadly results when drivers and passengers fail to wear their seatbelts. Wearing a seat belt is one of the most important steps you can take to increase your chance of surviving a traffic collision. Our job is to stop those who are not buckled up, and to keep them from repeating this potentially-deadly mistake.”
In 2014, nearly half of the 21,022 passenger vehicle occupants killed in crashes nationally were unrestrained, according to NHTSA. During the nighttime hours of 6 p.m. to 5:59 a.m., that number increased to 57% of those killed. During this campaign, law enforcement agencies will be writing citations day and night, with a zero-tolerance approach to this issue.
“Hundreds of thousands of citizens will be traveling this Memorial Day weekend, as well as throughout the summer vacation season. We want to make sure that people are buckling up to keep themselves and their families safe. It is the greatest defense in a vehicle crash,” said Rhonda Craft, Director of the California Office of Traffic Safety.
For more information on the Click It or Ticket campaign, please visit www.nhtsa.gov/ciot.
