Safety belt use to be enforced
Buckle up - every trip, every time
Wanda English Burnett - Editor

Local law enforcement will be joining forces with the nationwide Click It or Ticket Mobilization from May 23 to June 5, according to Ripley County Sheriff Bill Davison. Officers will be increasing enforcement of the state's safety belt laws with no exceptions made.

"Because we've seen first hand the severe injury and death that often result from not wearing a safety belt, we will be showing zero tolerance for anyone not buckled up," noted Sheriff Davison. He continued, "Unless you want to risk a ticket, or worse - your life, remember to wear your belt."

According to officers, the goal of the effort is to boost the state's safety belt use rate and reduce fatalities, with a special emphasis on young adults. Statistics show that motor vehicle crashes continue to be the leading cause of death for every age - threelion in medical and other costs. The release further noted if all vehicle occupants had used safety belts during that period, nearly 315,000 deaths and 5.2 million injuries could have been prevented and $913 billion in costs saved. For the past several years the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has helped states implement the Click It or Ticket program. This program is used as an effective tool to raise safety belt use. Deputies from the Ripley County Sheriff's Department along with the Osgood Police Department will set up Seatbelt Enforcement Zones throughout Ripley County. "Law enforcement departments across the state have proven that enforcement zones are an extremely effective way to increase seat belt usage throughout Indiana," noted the sheriff. Local law enforcement will join with other agencies to have about 12,000 agencies in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico to conduct the checkpoints. Enforcement zones are scheduled at times with high traffic volume and low seat belt usage. Officer look for vehicles with unbuckled front seat passengers and/or child restraint violations. Those violating Indiana's seat belt law will be fined $25.00 per offense. Joining thousands of officers across the nation in an effort to save lives, Sheriff Davison concluded, "We want everyone on the road to remember to buckle up, every trip, every time." For the past several years the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has helped states implement the Click It or Ticket program. This program is used as an effective tool to raise safety belt use.

Deputies from the Ripley County Sheriff's Department along with the Osgood Police Department will set up Seatbelt Enforcement Zones throughout Ripley County. "Law enforcement departments across the state have proven that enforcement zones are an extremely effective way to increase seat belt usage throughout Indiana," noted the sheriff. Local law enforcement will join with other agencies to have about 12,000 agencies in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico to conduct the checkpoints.

Enforcement zones are scheduled at times with high traffic volume and low seat belt usage. Officer look for vehicles with unbuckled front seat passengers and/or child restraint violations. Those violating Indiana's seat belt law will be fined $25.00 per offense.

Joining thousands of officers across the nation in an effort to save lives, Sheriff Davison concluded, "We want everyone on the road to remember to buckle up, every trip, every time."