As motorists take to the roads this Memorial Day holiday, the Marshall County Sheriff’s Department and Bremen Police Department are urging everyone to buckle up. Beginning May 12th, law enforcement officials across the state will be out in full force, taking part in the 2017 national Click It or Ticket seat belt enforcement mobilization and cracking down on motorists who are not belted.
“As we kick-off the busy summer driving season, it is critical that everyone buckles up every time they go out, day and night – no excuses,” said Stg. Matt Schnaible with the Bremen Police Department.
“Our officers are prepared to ticket anyone who is not wearing their seat belt, including drivers that have neglected to properly buckle their children,” said Marshall County Sheriff Matthew Hassel.
At 4:00 p.m. on May 22, the Marshall County Sheriff’s Department and Bremen Police Department will join law enforcement agencies across half of the United States in mobilizing the Click It or Ticket (CIOT) “Border to Border” Operation. Law enforcement agencies will join forces to provide increased seat belt enforcement at State borders, 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), 9,874passenger vehicle occupants killed in 2015 were not wearing their seat belts at the time of the crash. And unbelted fatalities are more prevalent at night than during the daytime: 51percent of those killed in 2015 during the overnight hours of 6 p.m. to 5:59 a.m. were unbelted at the time of the crash.
From 1975 through 2015, seat belts have saved an estimated 344,447lives nationwide. So while this year’s Click It or Ticket enforcement mobilization runs from May 12 – June 4 Indiana, officers will continue to save lives by enforcing seat belt laws year-round.
For more on the national Click It or Ticket mobilization, please visit www.nhtsa.gov.
