2013 CLICK IT OR TICKET “Border To Border”

Glen Burnie, Maryland- As motorists take to the roads this Memorial Day holiday weekend, the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office is urging everyone to buckle up. Beginning Monday, May 20th, law enforcement officials will be out in full force, taking part in the 2013 national Click It or Ticket seat belt enforcement mobilization and cracking down on motorists who are not belted.

“Seat belts save thousands of lives every year, but far too many motorists are still not buckling up, especially at night when the risk of getting in a crash is even greater,” said Chief Michael Kundrat, Maryland Transportation Authority Police. “We want everyone to have a safe summer, but it requires an important step on the part of motorists – clicking that seat belt.”

On the morning of May 20th, Maryland will be joining law enforcement agencies throughout the northeast in mobilizing the Click It or Ticket“Border to Border” Operation.

Law enforcement agencies that share State borders will team up to provide increased seat belt enforcement at border sites, sending a ‘zero tolerance’ message to the public: Driving or riding unbuckled will result in a ticket, no matter what State.

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 52 percent of the 21,253passenger vehicle occupants killed in 2011 were not wearing their seat belts at the time of the crash. As noted, deaths involving seat belt nonuse are more prevalent at night than during the daytime. According to the NHTSA, 62 percent of the 10,135 passenger vehicle occupants killed in 2011 during the overnight hours of 6 p.m. to 5:59 a.m. were not wearing their seat belts at the time of the crash.

Tragically, these national statistics are mirrored locally. Preliminary data for 2012 shows that, 108 unbuckled drivers and passengers in Maryland lost their lives.

“Maryland’s seatbelt law is about to get tougher. Come October first, everyone must wear a seatbelt. Everyone. Those in the back seat as well as those in the front,” said John Kuo Administrator of the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration and the Governor’s Highway Safety Representative for in Maryland. “Governor O’Malley just signed into law a bill that will require all occupants of a vehicle to be buckled.”

In 2011, seat belts saved an estimated 11,949 lives nationwide according to the NHTSA. While this year’s Click It or Ticket enforcement mobilization runs from May 20 through June 2, officers are out enforcing seat belt laws year-round.

Participating Law Enforcement Agencies: Allegany County Sheriff’s Office, Annapolis City Police, Baltimore County Police, Bel Air Police, City of Greenbelt Police, Crisfield Police, Cumberland Police, Frostburg Police, Gaithersburg Police, Garrett County Sheriff’s Office, Harford County Police, Havre De Grace Police, Landover Hills Police, The Maryland State Police, The Maryland Transportation Authority Police, Oakland Police Department, Ocean City Police, Ocean Pines Police, Prince George’s County Police, Princess Anne Police, Pocomoke City Police, Westminster Police, Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office and Worcester County Sheriff’s Office.