Click It or Ticket Campaign

The Wicomico County Sheriff's Office will be participating in the national Click It or Ticket Campaign. Continue reading for some sobering facts.

2014 Click It or Ticket
FACT SHEET

Click It or Ticket Enforcement Mobilization
Cracking Down to Save Lives

A Nationwide Mobilization

• From May 19 – June 1, state and local law enforcement agencies are stepping up enforcement to catch motorists who aren’t wearing their seat belts.

• The 2014 Click It or Ticket national enforcement mobilization is taking place all across the nation. Whether motorists live in a city, the suburbs, or a rural area, local law enforcement will be out in force.

Seat Belts and Enforcement Save Lives

• In 2012 seat belts saved an estimated 12,174 people from dying. From 2008 – 2012 seat belts saved nearly 63,000 lives.

• In 2012, 3,031 additional lives could have been saved if all unrestrained passenger vehicle occupants 5 and older involved in fatal crashes had worn their seat belts.

• Cops aren’t just cracking down for the fun of it. Wearing a seat belt is a serious issue.
For the first time in five years, fatalities for unrestrained passenger vehicle occupants have gone up. In 2012, there were 10,335 unbuckled passenger vehicle occupants who died. Because of these fatalities, cops are stepping up enforcement and cracking down on those who don’t wear their seat belts.

Too Many Motorists Are Dying

• Young adults are dying at a disproportionate rate because they are not wearing their seat belts. Sixty-two percent of 18- to 34-year-old passenger vehicle occupants killed in crashes were not wearing their seat belts.

• Those who drive and ride in pickup trucks may think that their large vehicle will protect them more than other vehicles in a crash. This false sense of security may cause them to not wear their seat belts, but the stats show that this bravado is misplaced. Sixty-six percent of pickup truck occupants who were killed were not buckled up. That’s compared to 45 percent of car occupants who were killed while not wearing their seat belts.

• More men than women die every year in motor vehicle traffic crashes. In 2012, 65 percent of the 21,667 passenger vehicle occupants killed were men. Men also wore their seat belts less than women in fatal crashes – 56 percent of men were unrestrained, compared to 43 percent for women.

Enforcement Everywhere

• In 2012, 13,268 traffic fatalities occurred in rural locations, compared to 8,341 traffic fatalities that occurred in urban locations. Out of those fatalities, 54 percent of those not wearing their seatbelt were in rural locations, compared to 48 percent in urban locations.

• People who live in rural areas might believe that the close-knit nature of their small town will get them out of a ticket. However, motorists should not think that knowing the officer who pulled them over will help them avoid a ticket. Cops are cracking down everywhere on those not wearing their seat belts.

Enforcement Anytime

• Day or night, local law enforcement officers are on the lookout for those not wearing their seat belts--and for good reason. In 2012, 61 percent of passenger vehicle occupants killed at night (6 p.m. – 5:59 a.m.) were not wearing their seat belts.

• Local law enforcement officers are actually trained to spot seat belt violations at night, so just because it’s dark, don’t think they won’t be able to spot unbelted drivers.

Learn more about the Click It or Ticket mobilization atwww.nhtsa.gov/ciot.