From May 23 to June 5, 2016, the Santa Monica Police Department will participate in the national ‘Click It or Ticket’ campaign in an effort to save lives through increased seat belt use.
This education enforcement period comes ahead of the Memorial Day holiday, one of the busiest travel weekends of the year. According to research conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, while 88.5 percent of passenger vehicle occupants buckled up in 2015, almost 50 percent of occupants of fatal crashes nationwide are not restrained.
In some states, the rate is as high as 70 percent unrestrained in fatal crashes. In California, more than a half million people travel our roadways at grave risk without proper restraints. These facts gravely highlight the need for increased education, awareness and enforcement and awareness of seat belt use.
This year, NHTSA is aiming to increase campaign participation even more by coordinating a “Coast to Coast” seat belt education and enforcement effort with the California Highway Patrol and law enforcement around the I-10, I-40, I-70 and I-80 corridors. Additionally, law enforcement agencies statewide are joining the Click It or Ticket effort to emphasize the “Coast to Coast” seat belt safety awareness campaign in all 50 states.
“As law enforcement, we have a special role in helping protect the safety of our community.” said Chief Jacqueline Seabrooks, Santa Monica Police Department. “Time after time, we see the tragic results that come from drivers and passengers refusing to wear a seat belt. Wearing a seat belt is one of the most important steps in increasing survivability in a crash. Our job is to stop those who are not buckled up, and to keep them from repeating this potentially deadly mistake.”
“Hundreds of thousands of people will be traveling this Memorial Day weekend, as well as throughout the summer vacation season. We want to make sure that people are buckling up to keep themselves and their families safe. It is the greatest defense in a vehicle crash,” said Rhonda Craft, Director of the California Office of Traffic Safety.
