“Click it or Ticket” for the holidays

By submitted, 11/8/17 2:18 PM

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HOPE – Every year, the Thanksgiving holiday is one of the busiest travel times.

Millions of Americans hit the roads to spend time with family and friends. Unfortunately, more vehicles on the road mean the potential for more dangerous roads, and it’s as important as ever that everyone is buckled up. To make sure the message reaches all Hope drivers and passengers, the Hope Police Department will be joining other state and local law enforcement agencies to participate in the United States Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) high-visibility seat belt enforcement campaign Click It or Ticket. The no-excuses, zero-tolerance crackdown combines powerful messages about seat belt safety, with increased patrols day and night, targeting all unbuckled motorists—those who still aren’t getting the point.

“The statistics are really troubling,” said HPD Assistant Chief Kim Tomlin. “Almost half of the passenger vehicle occupants killed in crashes are not wearing their seat belts. During this busy time on our highways, we see way too many preventable fatalities in crashes.” During the 2013 Thanksgiving holiday period (6 p.m. on Wednesday, November 27, to 5:59 a.m. on Monday, December 2), there were 301 passenger vehicle occupants killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes nationwide. Fifty-eight percent of those killed were not wearing seat belts.

These tragic crashes could have turned out differently. NHTSA research indicates that proper seat belt use reduces the risk of fatal injury to front seat passengers by 45 percent, and the risk of moderate to serious injury by 50 percent. In 2013, seat belts saved the lives of 12,584 passenger vehicle occupants. If seat belt use had been at 100 percent, an additional 2,800 people would still be alive this Thanksgiving.

“Whether you’re driving to the grocery store, a friend’s house a mile away, or your grandparents’ house across the country,” Tomlin added, “please buckle up this Thanksgiving, and every time you’re on the road.” Drivers who fail to heed the warning are taking too big a risk—a hefty fine or worse: dying in a crash.

It only takes a second to buckle up, and isn’t that easier than getting pulled over and ticketed? With the help of highway safety advocates and local law enforcement officers across the country, we can increase seat belt use and save lives on our roadways this Thanksgiving.

Remember: Click It or Ticket. You have a lot to lose otherwise.

 

 

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