Multiple law enforcement agencies in Oklahoma are joining the nationwide “Click It or Ticket” campaign to improve the safety of drivers and passenger occupants across the state. According to KSWO Channel Seven News, the campaign will be running from May 19 to June 1.
Lieutenant Troy German, with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol (OHP), said that officers are going to be cracking down on drivers and passengers who aren’t buckled up. In Oklahoma, drivers and front-seat passengers ages 13 and up need to have their seat belts fastened at all times. Children ages 12 and under are required to be in age and size appropriate car seats or booster seats as well.
Seat Belt Safety Facts
- In 2012, seat belts saved an estimated 12,174 people from dying in car crashes.
- From 2008 to 2012, seat belts saved an estimated 63,000 lives.
- In 2012, 3,031 additional lives could have been saved if all unrestrained passengers ages five and older had worn their seat belts.
- In 2012, 10,335 unbuckled passenger vehicle occupants died in crashes.
- 62 percent of 18 to 34-year-olds killed in crashes were not buckled up.
- 66 percent of pickup truck occupants killed in crashes were not buckled up.
- 54 percent of people who died in crashes in rural areas were not wearing their seat belts.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) nationwide “Click It or Ticket, Day & Night” Campaign is aimed at raising awareness about the dangers of driving or riding in a car without buckling up. They’ve called on state and local law enforcement agencies across the country to step up efforts to catch offenders too. Perhaps, avoiding a ticket will help to motivate some people who still aren’t buckling up for every trip.
The NHTSA are also myth busting some of the incorrect reasons people choose not to wear seat belts. It doesn’t matter if you live in a rural community, if you drive a pickup truck, or that you’re only driving “down the street.” You need to buckle up every time, no matter how short the trip is or in what type of vehicle you’re riding in.
The NHTSA also wants you to know that airbags aren’t enough to keep you safe. They work with seat belts to improve driver and passenger safety in the event of a wreck.