The Cleveland Police Department says there are three simple steps to save a life: Enforce belt laws. Educate occupants. Increase belt use. As this year’s Click It or Ticket seat belt enforcement mobilization approaches, they encourage you to take a moment to renew your commitment to this life-saving campaign. By following these three steps, you can help reduce the number of lives lost due to unrestrained passenger vehicle occupants.
Enforce belt laws. Commit to mobilize. Join 50 states and thousands of law enforcement agencies from across the country in stepping up high-visibility enforcement during the 2014 Click It or Ticket national mobilization from May 19 to June 1. ·
Enforce day and night. Statistics show nighttime drivers are less likely to buckle up compared to daytime drivers. 10,480 passenger vehicle occupants were killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes at night (6 p.m. to 5:59 a.m.) in 2012. Of those killed in nighttime crashes, 55 percent were not wearing seat belts (compared to 41 percent of occupants killed during daytime hours of 6 a.m. to 5:59 p.m.).
Promote your efforts. Put the “high-visibility” in your local enforcement efforts with handy Click It or Ticket earned media and other promotional material available on this flash drive and at www.trafficsafetymarketing.gov.
Educate occupants. Regardless of the vehicle, seat belts save lives. In 2012, NHTSA statistics show that 21,667 occupants of passenger cars, trucks, vans and SUVs were killed in motor vehicle crashes nationwide—and 48 percent were NOT wearing seat belts at the time of the fatal crashes. Teens and young adults are at higher risk. Among young adult passenger vehicle occupants ages 18 to 34, who were killed in crashes, 56 percent were not buckled up—the highest percentage of any age group. The number jumps to 59 percent when only men in this age group are included. The numbers change, the facts don’t — 49 percent of the 114,102 passenger vehicle occupants who were killed on our roadways from 2008-2012 were not wearing their seat belts at the time of the fatal crashes, according to NHTSA. Wearing a seat belt is the single most effective way to reduce fatalities in motor vehicle crashes.
Increase belt use. With the help of local and national law enforcement officers and highway safety advocates all across the country, the Click It or Ticket enforcement mobilization aims to continue to help raise the national seat belt usage rate beyond the estimated 86 percent in 2012. The 2014 Click It or Ticket mobilization will run from May 19 through June 1, but officers should continue to look for and educate unrestrained vehicle occupants year-round. Nothing can replace the efforts of officers like you in the field. Your efforts will make all the difference.
Please lead and join your officers in conducting zero-tolerance seat belt enforcement during the day, and also at night. This mobilization is created to crackdown on violators 24-7, but a strong enforcement effort is urged between the nighttime hours of 6 p.m. and 5:59 a.m. due to the higher percentages of passenger vehicle occupants not buckling up during the overnight hours. With your leadership, we can turn thousands of lives lost into many more lives saved. The Cleveland Police Department will be conducting education awareness classes at Cleveland High School and will be increasing seat belt checks and enforcement.