The Creek County Sheriff’s Office joins other agencies including local, county and state law enforcement, the Oklahoma Highway Safety Office, and other partners across the state to highlight the dangers of not wearing a seat belt.
The “Click It or Ticket” campaign is a high-visibility seat belt enforcement and education program that begins on May 21 and runs through June 3. The campaign aims to educate Oklahoman’s on the risks associated with not wearing their seat belts, and also helps reinforce that by issuing seat belt citations.
In 2016, 47.5 percent of all vehicle fatality victims in Oklahoma were not using safety belts or child restraint devices. Among the almost 34,000 people injured in crashes in Oklahoma during 2016, 2,500 were not restrained.
During the 2017 “Click It or Ticket” campaign in Oklahoma, almost 300 agencies participated, resulting in 8,057 seat belt violations and 244 child passenger restraint violations.
“We know these high visibility enforcement and education campaigns work to remind and reinforce the need to wear a seat belt,” said Chief Deputy Fred Clark.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), an estimated 14,668 lives have been saved by using seat belts across the U.S. While this is a high number, there are an estimated 27.5 million people who still don’t buckle up. Wearing your seat belt during a crash increases your odds of survival by 50 percent.
“Wearing a seat belt is the number one thing anyone can do to help prevent death or injury during a vehicle crash,” said Clark.
According to NHTSA, 56 percent of vehicle occupants who were killed between 6 pm and 6 am were not wearing their seat belts, which is why one focus of this year’s “Click It or Ticket” campaign is nighttime enforcement.
A campaign kickoff press event will be held at St. John Health System in Tulsa on Monday, May 21 at 11 am. For a complete list of speakers and more details, please visit ohso.ok.gov/clickit.
“If you know someone who doesn’t wear their seat belt when they drive or are passengers, please remind them of the dangers of not wearing a seat belt and encourage them to start wearing one,” said Deputy Clark.
“We need your help to spread the message, buckle up. Every trip. Every time.”
For more information on the “Click It or Ticket” campaign, please visit www.ohso.ok.gov/clickit
