Florida Department of Transportation Joins Click It or Ticket To Crack Down on Safety Belt Use – Especially at Night

Tallahassee – The Florida Department of Transportation will join local and national law enforcement officers and highway safety advocates all across the country for the 2011 national Click It or Ticket safety belt enforcement mobilization, May 23-June 5.

During the mobilization, officers will be cracking down on motorists who fail to wear their safety belts – both day and night.

Because nighttime passenger vehicle occupants are among those least likely to buckle up and most likely to die in crashes when unrestrained, nighttime enforcement has become a priority of the Click It or Ticket mobilization. Of those who died in nighttime crashes in 2009, nearly two-thirds (62 percent) were not wearing safety belts at the time of their fatal crashes.

In 2009, 11,593 passenger vehicle occupants died in motor vehicle crashes nationwide between the nighttime hours of 6 p.m. and 5:59 a.m., according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. (NHTSA)

During 2010, in Florida, 571 people died unbelted at night, compared to 218 who died unbelted during
the day.

“Many nighttime traffic deaths can be prevented if more motorists simply start wearing their safety belts.  That’s why FDOT is strongly supporting enhanced nighttime enforcement of safety belt laws during the Click It or Ticket campaign,” said Secretary Ananth Prasad.  “We want to remind drivers and passengers to always wear their safety belts - all the time.”

High-visibility enforcement such as the Click It or Ticket mobilization is credited with increasing the Florida safety belt usage rate from 60 percent in 1994 to an observed usage rate of 87 percent in 2010.  NHTSA estimates that safety belt use saves Florida an estimated 124 lives, 1,733 serious injuries, and $408 million in costs annually.

“Law enforcement will be cracking down on Click It or Ticket violators around the clock.  Florida motorists should be prepared to buckle up,” said FDOT Chief Safety Officer Marianne Trussell.  “If a law enforcement officer finds you on the road unbuckled anytime or anywhere, you can expect to get a ticket - not a warning. No excuses and no exceptions.”

Remember that May 23 to June 5: It’s Click It or Ticket. Buckle up and encourage your loved ones to do the same. You’ll save the cost of a ticket and may even save a life.

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