Click It or Ticket Seatbelt Campaign Reminds Drivers to Buckle Up
A sure sign of summer, the “Click It or Ticket” seatbelt campaign is in full force. And it seems to be working – 84 percent of Americans buckle up. This is the highest rate of seatbelt use recorded.
The annual event, which runs from May 24 to June 5, is coordinated by the U.S. Department of Transportation and is delivered through a law enforcement blitz and crackdown. The police officers stationed at check points across the country enforce a zero tolerance, round-the-clock sweep for motorists who fail to wear a safety belt.
Although this event only lasts two weeks, wearing a seatbelt should be a habit you get into 365 days a year. And it’s surprising how many drivers fail to institute this important safety feature into their daily commute. Many states, such as Massachusetts, Wyoming, and New Hampshire (the only state without any seatbelt law), fall below the national average with a usage rate around 70 percent. There are 19 states that do not enforce a primary law, which allows drivers to be pulled over for failing to wear a seat belt, and four of these states have a primary law only for teenagers and younger passengers. The most likely to drive without a seatbelt are men aged 18 to 34.
[Source: Consumer Reports]
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Click it or Ticket, Stick It!! None of the press releases, advertisements or signs mention that one can be ticketed for wearing a seat belt, but not wearing it properly. It is dangerous to put the shoulder strap under your arm. Few people are aware of this. The NHTSA could do better!!!
My son just called me all upset. He left Dunkin Donuts in Hartford, CT with seatbelt on and got pulled over by a cop outside Dunkin Donuts at an intersection who said he wasn't wearing a seatbelt. He then gave him a $92 ticket. It's not even the $92 it's the fact that he WAS wearing his belt. I told him he could fight it and in the mean time I would gather stories from others and write an editorial to my newspaper. Any ideas on how he should handle this? A seat belt is not visible on people wearing dark or black colored clothing. I know because a cop came right up to my driver's side window last week at an exit ramp and glared inside my car to check for belts.