Click It or Ticket enforcement wave begins Monday
Deputies with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, along with other law enforcement officers around the state and across the country, are joining in the 2015 National Click It or Ticket enforcement mobilization. This two-week campaign runs from Monday, May 18, through Sunday, May 31, and it is geared to educating and encouraging motorists to “buckle up” in a collective effort to increase citizen seat belt compliance and reduce injuries and deaths on our roads.
In 2013, there were 9,580 unbuckled passenger vehicle occupants killed in crashes in the United States. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in 2012 seat belts saved an estimated 12,174 people from dying. From 2008 2012 seat belts saved nearly 63,000 lives. In addition in 2012 3,031 additional lives could have been saved if all unrestrained passenger vehicle occupants 5 and older involved in fatal crashes had worn their seat belts.
Day or night, local law enforcement officers are on the lookout for those not wearing their seat belts-and for good reason. In 2012, 61 percent of passenger vehicle occupants killed at night (6 p.m. 5:59 a.m.) were not wearing their seat belts.
If all passenger vehicle occupants 5 and older involved in fatal crashes had worn their seat belts; an additional 3,031 lives could have been saved in 2012 alone. Among young adults 18 to 34 years old killed in crashes, 61 percent were completely unrestrained-the highest percentage of all age groups. In 2013, there were 638 children 12 and younger killed in motor vehicle crashes. Of those fatalities, more than a third (38%) were unrestrained.
Please remember:
– Air bags are designed to work with seat belts, not replace them.
– Be sure the seat belt is properly positioned, never put the shoulder strap behind you or under your arm.
– Before you buy a new car, check to see that its seat belts are a good fit for you.
– Learn how to properly use and install child safety seats or boosters.
Seat belts save lives! For more seat belt safety information log on to www.nhtsa.gov.