Click It Or Ticket, Florida Troopers Warn

TALLAHASSEE, FL — The Florida Highway Patrol and law enforcement officers across the state are teaming up to remind folks of the importance of buckling up. The annual “Click It or Ticket” campaign kicked off Monday, May 22. It runs through June 4.

During the two-week campaign, law enforcement officers will be keeping their eyes out for motorists who fail to use their seat belts. Those spotted without a belt in place may find themselves looking at flashing lights in their rearview mirrors since seat belt violations are a primary offense in Florida. That means troopers and other officers may pull motorists over and ticket them for no other reason than failure to follow seat belt laws.

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The statewide crackdown is meant to “save lives,” the patrol wrote in an email announcing the statewide campaign. “Wearing a seat belt is one of the most effective ways to help prevent injuries or death in the event of a traffic crash,” the email said.

According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, all front seat passengers in a vehicle must be properly buckled. Passengers in the front or back seats who are under the age of 18 must also be buckled or placed into proper child restraints, depending on their ages.

Seat belt ticket fines do vary by county, but can run upwards of $100. In Lee County, for example, the cost is $111.

The state estimates that 41 percent of people killed in crashes where seat belt use is required chose not to buckle up. “That means hundreds of people who died on Florida roads had the option to wear a seat belt, but didn’t,” the state’s website says.

The state keeps records of the number of people in each county who died in traffic crashes while wearing or not wearing their seat belts. Here is a sampling of the number of fatalities in 2016 involving people in different counties who weren’t belted in:

• Hillsborough County – 42 out of 111 fatalities
• Manatee County – 17 out of 40 fatalities
• Miami-Dade County – 64 out of 169 fatalities
• Pasco County – 15 out of 41 fatalities
• Pinellas County – 15 out of 49 fatalities
• Polk County – 33 out of 73 fatalities
• Sarasota County – 16 out of 40 fatalities

For more information about seat belt laws and child restraint laws in Florida, visit the state department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles online.

Photo courtesy of the Florida Highway Patrol