"Click It or Ticket": Buckle up, America!
When you jump into your car in the next couple of weeks, you might want to double check and make sure your seat belt is fastened.
The annual "Click It or Ticket" campaign, aimed at getting people to buckle up and play it safe on the nation's roads and highways, launches Monday and runs through June 4.
The program involves checkpoints, patrols and advertisements to help enforce seat belt laws across the country, and is endorsed by transportation departments nationwide, says the Insurance Journal.
Despite the highest rate of seat belt use ever recorded in the U.S., 48 million Americans still fail to buckle up, according to a recently released report by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
"It's an undisputable fact that safety belts help save lives. Still, millions of Americans aren't buckling up every time they are in a motor vehicle," said NHTSA Acting Administrator Jacqueline Glassman. "The crackdown is about preventing tragedies through awareness, strong laws and highly visible enforcement of those laws."
So climb in your car, buckle those seat belts, avoid getting a ticket—and stay safe on the roads!
Comments
I heard on the news this morning that increasing seat belt use by 3.3% would save $45 million in traffic costs in Colorado each year!
Posted by: Laura | May 22, 2006 12:35 PM
Hi, Laura, and thanks for the comment.
Good point! Using that amazing statistic as a basis, just imagine how much we could save as a nation if 100% of Americans buckled up. Let's see...we could save millions in accident care and insurance every year; make a small dent in the national debt...shoot, we might even save enough to fill some of those massive potholes that jolt us into oblivion every day!
By the way, I was on the road this weekend traveling through the great state of Kansas, and it appeared the highway patrol were getting a head start on this campaign, which officially starts today. Hats off to all the state troopers and city police working hard this year to enforce seat belt laws!
Posted by: Penny Hagerman | May 22, 2006 01:58 PM