As the Memorial Day holiday approaches, BNPD is reminding all drivers of the importance of seat belt use by participating in the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Click It or Ticket campaign May 24-June 6. The campaign is aimed at enforcing seat belt use to help keep families safe during one of the busiest travel times of the year.
“We cannot overstate the importance of wearing a seat belt,” said Lt. Don Robertson. “It’s the law, but it’s more than that. By far, buckling up is the simplest thing you can do to limit injury or even save your life during a crash.”
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2019, there were 9,466 unbuckled passenger vehicle occupants killed in crashed in the United States. In that same year, 55 percent of vehicle occupants killed at night were not wearing their seat belt, a reason nighttime enforcement is a large focus of the Click It or Ticket campaign.
“The bottom line is that seat belts save lives,” said Robertson. “If these enforcement efforts get people’s attention, and get them to buckle up, then we’ll consider it a success. If you know someone who does not buckle up, please encourage them to do so- every trip, every time.”
BNPD officers will be working overtime to enforce this campaign with funds reimbursed by the federal Special Traffic Enforcement Program. For more information on the Click It or Ticket mobilization, please visit www.nhtsa.gov/ciot.