Motorists Beware: Not Wearing a Seat Belt Could Cost You
Click It or Ticket Kicks Off May 24
For you and your family, seat belts provide the best defense against impaired, distracted and aggressive drivers. In fact, wearing your seat belt is the single most effective crash protection available. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2008 the use of seat belts in passenger vehicles saved an estimated 13,250 lives. An additional 4,152 lives would have been saved if all unrestrained passenger vehicle occupants 5 and older involved in fatal crashes had worn their seat belts.
However, a seat belt can’t save even one life if it’s not used. And that’s where enforcement comes into play. High-visibility enforcement campaigns such as the annual Click It or Ticket mobilization are widely credited with increasing the national seat belt usage rate from 58 percent in 1994 to an observed rate of 84 percent today.
In spite of this dramatic increase, we can’t afford to waiver on belt enforcement now. There are thousands more lives yet to be saved. And by any measure, the personal and societal costs of those lives, if lost to us, are far too great to bear.
To protect local lives, the Washington County Sheriff's Office will join together with law enforcement officers, highway safety officials and safety advocates across the country in support of the 2010 Click It or Ticket mobilization. During the May 24–June 6, 2010, campaign, Washington County motorists can expect to receive tickets, not a warnings, if officers find them out on the roads unbuckled. Moreover, motorists can also expect that Washington County Sheriff Deputies will be out in force — both day and night.
Because nighttime drivers are among those least likely to buckle up, nighttime enforcement has become a hallmark of the Click It or Ticket mobilization. In fact, of those who died in nighttime crashes in 2008, nearly two-thirds (64%) were not wearing seat belts at the time of the crashes.
Teens and young adults, who neglect to buckle up in greater numbers than any other age demographic, are also at an increased risk of dying in a crash. Sadly, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for American youth, exceeding all crime- and disease-related causes.
There’s no question about it: Seat belts save lives. Spread the word to your family and friends to buckle up. You could save them the cost of a ticket. Even better: You could save a life. Remember: this May 24 to –June 6, 2010, it’s Click It or Ticket.
For more on the national seat belt mobilization, visit Click It or Ticket headquarters at www.nhtsa.gov.
