Seat Belt Enforcement to be Stepped up Today

Click It or Ticket (CIOT) seat belt enforcement continues throughout May, but a special saturation patrol is planned for Monday evening.

The Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office and the Evansville Police Department will join with agencies across the Eastern half of the United States in a combined “Border to Border” mobilization. On May 23, 2016 from 6:00pm to 10:00pm increased enforcement will drive home the zero tolerance message, that no matter what state you’re in, driving or riding unbuckled will result in a ticket.

In 2014, of the 21,022 passenger vehicle occupants who were killed in motor vehicle crashes nationwide, 49 percent were NOT wearing seat belts at the time of their fatal crashes. Unfortunately, the problem of unbelted passenger vehicle occupants becomes worse at night. Nationally, 59 percent of the 10,118 passenger vehicle occupants who were killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes overnight (6 p.m. to 5:59 a.m.) in 2013 were not wearing their seat belts at the time of the fatal crash, compared to 43 percent during the daytime hours. Seat belts are the most effective safety feature ever invented and have helped save thousands of lives. Sadly, one in five Americans fail to regularly wear a seat belt when driving or riding in a motor vehicle.

Law enforcement will be specifically looking for seat belt and child safety seat violations during this high intensity enforcement period as well as throughout the rest of May.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) research has shown that high-visibility enforcement (HVE) is a an effective countermeasure that involves highly publicized periods of increased belt law enforcement. Enhanced local enforcement is made possible by funding provided by the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute (ICJI) through a grant from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Previous News Release: 2016-NR-028

Pictured above: Sheriff’s Office and German Township Fire Department personnel at the scene of a fatal crash on New Harmony Road in 2014. One of the two occupants was not wearing a seat belt and was fatally injured when he was ejected from the vehicle.