Each year, the highways fill with families in vehicles, on their way to start their summer vacations. To help keep drivers and passengers stay safe, the Adams County Safe Communities Coalition is reminding motorists to “Click It or Ticket”. Aimed at enforcing seat belt use to help keep families safe, the national seat belt campaign will take place May 21 through June 3, concurrent with the busy travel season.
“Buckling up is such a simple task that can keep you and your family safe in the car,” said Lt. Randy McElfresh, Commander of the Georgetown Post – Ohio State Patrol, and member of the Adams County Safe Communities Coalition. “But it’s more than that. Buckling up is the law. Our law enforcement personnel see the consequences of not buckling up. We see the loss of life. Often, it could have been prevented with the simple click of a seat belt. This should be automatic.”
“As the Memorial Day weekend approaches and the summer vacation season ramps up, we want to keep our community members safe, and make sure people are doing the one thing that can save them in a crash: buckling up,” said Debbie Ryan, Adams County Safe Communities Program Coordinator. “If the enforcement crackdown wakes people up to the dangers of unrestrained driving, we’ll consider it a success.”
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, nearly half (48%) of the passenger vehicle occupants killed in crashes in 2016 were unrestrained. At night from 6 p.m. to 5:59 a.m., that number soared to 56 percent of those killed. That’s why one focus of the Click It or Ticket campaign is nighttime enforcement. Participating law enforcement agencies will be taking a no-excuses approach to seat belt law enforcement, writing citations day and night.
“The Adams County Safe Communities Coalition will be set up in the West Union Tractor Supply Company parking lot, on State Route 41 South, on Monday, May 21 from 11a.m.- 1 p.m., to bring awareness to this important traffic safety message.
“Stop by and show your support of this simple, yet lifesaving practice of buckling up,” urged Ryan.