The Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office is reminding drivers of the importance of seat belt use.
This annual campaign is part of the National Click It or Ticket high-visibility enforcement crackdown which runs through June 2. The national seat belt campaign runs concurrent with the start of the busy summer travel season to reduce traffic deaths and serious injuries.
“During the Click It or Ticket campaign, we’ll be working with our fellow law enforcement officers across the state to ensure the message gets out to drivers and passengers to buckle up,” said Sheriff Jerry Clayton in a press release. “We cannot overstate the importance of wearing a seat belt. It’s the law, but more than that buckling up is the simplest thing you can do to limit injury or save your life during a crash. We see the results of not wearing a seat belt all the time. We see the loss of life. So often, it could have been prevented with the simple click of a seat belt.”
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration {NHTSA}, in 2017, there were 10,076 unbuckled passenger vehicle occupants killed in crashes in the United States. Almost twice as many males were killed in crashes as compared to females. Of the males killed in crashes in 2017, more than half (51 percent) were unrestrained and 39 percent of females were not buckled up.
Young adults 18 to 34 who were killed in crashes in 2017, more than half were unrestrained, the highest percentages of all age groups. Participating law enforcement agencies will be taking a no-excuses approach to seat belt law enforcement, writing citations day and night. In Michigan, the penalty for a seat belt violation is $65 plus associated local fees.
“If the enforcement crackdown wakes people up to the dangers of unrestrained driving, we’ll consider our mission to be a success,” said Clayton. “If you know a friend or a family member who does not buckle up, please ask them to consider changing their habits. Help us spread this lifesaving message before one more friend or family member is killed. Seat belts save lives and everyone, children and adults in the front seat and back seat, need to remember to buckle up—every trip, every time.”
