‘Click It or Ticket’ Aims to Increase Seat Belt Use

As motorists take to the roads this Memorial Day weekend, the Temple Terrace Police Department is urging everyone to buckle their seat belts.

Since May 20, law enforcement officials have been participating in the national 2013 Click It or Ticket campaign, which runs until June 2 and aims to crack down on motorists who don’t wear their seat belt.

“As we kick off the busy summer driving season, it’s important that everyone buckles up every time they go out, both day and night—no excuses,” said TTPD Capt. Mike Pridemore in a press release. “Our officers are prepared to ticket anyone who is not wearing their seat belt.”

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 52 percent of the 21,253 passenger vehicle occupants killed in 2011 were not wearing their seat belts at the time of the crash, the release states.

Moreover, statistics show, such deaths are more prevalent at night than during the daytime. According to NHTSA, 62 percent of the 10,135 passenger vehicle occupants killed in 2011 during the overnight hours of 6 p.m. to 5:59 a.m. were not wearing their seat belts at the time of the crash, the release states.

“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,” said Pridemore in the release. “We want everyone to have a safe summer, but it requires an important step on the part of motorists –clicking that seat belt.”

In 2011, seat belts saved an estimated 11,949 lives nationwide according to NHTSA, the release states.

For more information about Click It or Ticket, visit the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration online.