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NORTH VERNON POLICE DEPARTMENT PRESS RELEASE
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North Vernon Police Launch “Click It or Ticket” Mobilization to Boost Safety Belt Use and to Save Lives
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05-19-2006
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For More Information, Contact:
Sgt. Michael Piirto, 812.346.1466, mpiirto@nvpd.org
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National, State and Local Law Enforcement Blitz Zeroing in on One in Five Americans Who Still Don’t Get It.
North Vernon, In. – Nearly one in five Americans (or 18 percent nationally) still fail to regularly wear their safety belts when driving or riding in a motor vehicle, according to a new report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
Among those least likely to buckle up: young males, pickup truck drivers and their passengers, people who live in rural areas, and night-time drivers.
In Indiana, the percentage of drivers and passengers observed not wearing their safety belts is 19 percent. But failure to regularly wear a safety belt can be deadly. According to NHTSA, 31,693 passenger vehicle occupants died in traffic crashes during 2004 – and 55 percent of those killed were NOT wearing their safety belts at the time of the crash.
That’s why the North Vernon Police Department announced today they are joining with more than 12,000 other State and local law enforcement and highway safety officials during late May for an aggressive national “Click It or Ticket” mobilization to crack down on Indiana’s safety belt law violators and to reduce highway fatalities.
“Safety belts clearly save lives. But unfortunately too many folks still need a tough reminder, so we are going to be out in force buckling down on those who are not buckled up.” said Sgt. Michael Piirto “Unless you want to risk a ticket, or worse - your life, you need to remember to ‘Click It or Ticket’ day and night.”
Dan Jeffries, Traffic Safety Director for the Governor’s Council on Impaired and Dangerous Driving said “regular safety belt use is the single most effective way to protect people and reduce fatalities in motor vehicle crashes. When worn correctly, safety belts have proven to reduce the risk of fatal injury to front-seat passenger car occupants by 45 percent – and by 60 percent in pickup trucks, SUVs and mini-vans.”
Safety belt enforcement zones and other stepped-up law enforcement activities will be conducted during the national “Click It or Ticket” enforcement mobilization, which runs May 21std through June 4th. The mobilization is being supported by a national and state media campaign and advertisements encouraging all Americans, but especially the targeted non-belts users, to always buckle up.
Law Enforcement agencies, in addition to the daytime and nighttime saturation patrols, will also utilize over 2500 seat belt enforcement zones across the state of Indiana to enforce the seat belt statute. Many of the seat belt zones will also be conducted during the nighttime hours.
“Too many people still take the attitude that it will never happen to them. But fatal crashes can and do happen every day. So we will be out in force showing zero tolerance for anyone not buckled up,” Sgt. Michael Piirto said. “We’d much rather write a thousand tickets than have to knock on one family’s door with the news that their loved one didn’t survive a crash simply because they weren’t wearing their safety belt.”
For more information on the national “Click It or Ticket” mobilization, please visit Buckle Up America or NHTSA.
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