"Click it or Ticket" in full effect heading into Memorial Day Weekend

As the Memorial Day holiday approaches, the Fort Smith Police Department is reminding all drivers of the importance of seat belt use.

With the summer season beginning, and families setting out on their travels across Arkansas, state and local law enforcement officers are sending a clear message to motorists, Click It or Ticket. 

Seat belt laws are enforced to protect drivers and their passengers from unnecessary injuries and death. This high-visibility enforcement effort will run from May 22 to June 7, 2020, and is aimed at enforcing seat belt use to help keep families safe.

“During the Click It or Ticket campaign, we’ll be working with our fellow law enforcement officers across local and state lines to ensure the message gets out to drivers and passengers,” said Lt. Stephen Krumm with the FSPD. “We cannot overstate the importance of wearing a seat belt. It’s the law, but it’s more than that: By far, buckling up is the simplest thing you can do to limit injury or save your life during a crash. We see the results of not wearing a seat belt all the time. We see the loss of life. So often, it could have been prevented with the simple click of a seat belt.”

According to NHTSA, in 2018, there were 9,778 unbuckled passenger vehicle occupants killed in crashes on U.S. roads.  That same year, 56 percent of passenger

vehicle occupants killed at night (6 AM - 5:59 AM) were not wearing seat belts. 

Participating law enforcement agencies are taking a no-excuses approach to seat belt law enforcement, whether a violator is stopped day or night.

“If the enforcement crackdown wakes people up to the dangers of unrestrained driving, we’ll consider our mission to be a success,” said Lt. Krumm. “If you know a friend or a family member who does not buckle up when they drive, please ask them to consider changing their habits. Help us spread this lifesaving message before one more friend or family member is killed as a result of this inaction. Seat belts save lives, and

everyone—front seat and back, child and adult—needs to remember to buckle up—every trip, every time.”

Arkansas law requires that all front seat passengers, not just drivers, be buckled up.  It requires all children under fifteen years of age to be properly secured in the vehicle.  A child who is less than six years of age or who weighs less than sixty pounds, should be restrained in a child passenger safety seat. If the driver has a restricted license, all passengers in the vehicle must be properly buckled up.

 

For more information about "Click it or Ticket"  visit trafficsafetymarketing.gov/ or contact the Arkansas Highway Safety Office at (501) 618-8136.