University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Police will join hundreds of law enforcement agencies throughout Wisconsin for the annual Click It or Ticket safety belt enforcement campaign from May 23 to June 5.
“We are serious about safety belt enforcement because far too many unbuckled drivers and passengers are killed or injured in traffic crashes,” University Police Chief Kurt Leibold said. “During the Click It or Ticket mobilization and throughout the year, our goal is not to write more tickets, but rather through enforcement and education, we’re determined to get people to buckle up every time they drive or ride in a vehicle.”
Although the state’s safety belt use rate of 86 percent is the highest ever, approximately half of the drivers and passengers killed in Wisconsin traffic crashes last year were not wearing safety belts. In addition, last year there were nearly 55,000 convictions for failure to fasten a seat belt.
“No matter if it is day or night, or a short trip or a long journey, everyone in a vehicle must buckle up. Passengers need to wear a safety belt in the rear seats as well as the front seats. Buckling up is the best possible protection against being ejected from a vehicle during a crash or thrown around violently inside it and possibly hitting another person in the vehicle with massive force,” Leibold said. “That’s why Click It or Ticket is more than a slogan to our officers. It is such a small effort to buckle a seat belt yet it can have such a tremendous lifesaving impact.”
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