Law Enforcement Aim to Save Lives

The national Click It or Ticket campaign is an effort to save lives through awareness of increased seat belt use. According to research conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), while 88.5 percent of passenger vehicle occupants buckled up in 2015, almost 50 percent of occupants of fatal crashes nationwide are not restrained. In some states, the rate is as high as 70 percent unrestrained in fatal crashes. In California, more than a half million people travel roadways at grave risk without proper restraints. These facts gravely highlight the need for increased education, awareness of seat belt use, and enforcement. This year, the NHTSA is aiming to increase campaign participation even more by coordinating a “Coast to Coast” seat belt education and enforcement effort with the California Highway Patrol and law enforcement around the I-10, I-40, I-70, and I-80 corridors. Additionally, law enforcement agencies statewide are joining the Click It or Ticket effort to emphasize the “Coast to Coast” seat belt safety awareness campaign in all 50 states. In 2014, nearly half of the 21,022 passenger vehicle occupants killed in crashes nationally were unrestrained, according to the NHTSA. During the nighttime hours of 6 p.m. to 5:59 a.m., that number increased to 57 percent of those killed. Law enforcement agencies will write citations day and night, with a zero-tolerance approach. “We want to make sure that people are buckling up to keep themselves and their families safe,” said Rhonda Craft, Director of the California Office of Traffic Safety. "It is the greatest defense in a vehicle crash."