Police, RIDOT Urge Drivers to 'Click It Or Ticket'

Release courtesy of RIDOT and Tom Mahoney of the Narragansett Police Department.

From March 18 to March 24, teams of officers will be monitoring seat belt use throughout the state. Violators will be fined $85 for each person in the vehicle who is not wearing a safety restraint.

The strategy is based on data that shows 79 percent of passenger vehicle fatalities in Rhode Island occurred between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. In those fatal crashes, nearly three-quarters of the motorists killed were not wearing their seat belts.

"Study after study has shown that wearing a seat belt is the best protection in a crash," said RIDOT Director Michael P. Lewis. "Drivers and passengers should be reaching for their belts as soon as they get into a vehicle, no matter what time of day it is."

Enacted in June 2011, the statute allows law enforcement to cite motorists at any time for not buckling up. Under the prior law, drivers had to be pulled over for another offense before they could be ticketed for not wearing a safety restraint.

Rhode Island has shown improvement in several key safety areas. A study conducted in 2011 found that more than 80 percent of drivers and passengers are wearing their seat belts, the first time the State has reached that mark. This data represents an increase of two percentage points from 2010 and an increase of eight percentage points in just the last four years.

Roadway deaths also have been on a downward trend both nationally and locally. A report released late last year by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration showed that the number of people killed in traffic crashes nationwide in 2010 was the lowest since 1949, and Rhode Island was one of the states leading the way with a 20 percent drop in deaths from the previous year.

"The results of these studies are encouraging, but one death is still too many," Lewis said. "Enforcement efforts like this help underscore the message that motorists should fasten their belts every time they get in a car – not just to avoid a fine, but for their safety."

Buckling up is one of the most effective precautions that drivers and passengers can take to protect themselves in a crash. According to NHTSA, seat belts saved more than 72,000 lives across the country from 2004 to 2009. Worn correctly, seat belts reduce the risk of fatal injury by 45 percent for occupants in the front seat of a passenger car, and by 60 percent for occupants in a pickup truck, SUV or van.

Individuals with questions can contact RIDOT's Customer Service office at (401) 222-2450 weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Additional information will be available on RIDOT's website www.dot.ri.gov and its social media sites on Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and Blogger.