Click It or Ticket Crackdown Begins
Law enforcement officers in Tennessee and Georgia are warning drivers that today (Nov. 16) is the day they begin an all out crackdown on folks who don't buckle up.
“The numbers don’t lie. More than fifty percent of people killed in traffic crashes last year were not wearing a safety belt,” said Tennessee Department of Transportation Commissioner Gerald Nicely. “That is why we are reminding motorists that seat belts help save lives. Buckle up every trip, every time.”
In tennessee law enforcement officers will be particularly focused on rural areas of the state. They say that's where 62 percent of all car crash fatalities occur.
“In addition to rural motorists, teen drivers, particularly young males, and pickup truck drivers and passengers are most at risk of dying in a traffic crash,” said GHSO Director Kendell Poole. “We must do all we can to protect ourselves and our passengers during the busy holiday travel season. Wear a safety belt every time you travel and make sure others in your vehicles buckle up as well, and talk to teens about the importance of buckling up every time they get into an automobile.”
Fifty-two law enforcement agencies in 19 counties are participating in this Click It or Ticket enforcement effort including agencies in: Anderson, Wayne, Franklin, Macon, Clay, Pickett, Overton, Jackson, Smith, DeKalb, White, Fentress, Morgan, Jefferson, Monroe, Bledsoe, Grundy, Marion and Sequatchie. The indication that there is both low seatbelt usage and a high unbelted fatality rate led to the choice of these communities.
