The Manitowoc Police Department is joining law enforcement agencies across the country next week to step up patrols and remind drivers that “buckling up” can save a life.
It’s called the Click It or Ticket seat belt enforcement campaign begins Monday (May 22nd) and runs through June 4th.
A survey taken last year found 87.5% of Wisconsin motorists wear seat belts, but that number has been dropping and falls below the nationwide rate of 90.4% in 2021.
Wisconsin’s primary seat belt law allows law enforcement to stop and cite motorists for failing to wear a seat belt.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in 2020, 58% of passenger vehicle occupants killed at night were not wearing seat belts.
That’s why one focus of the Click It or Ticket campaign is nighttime enforcement.
The campaign also coincides with Memorial Day weekend, which can be an especially dangerous time on the roads, so officers will be encouraging seat belt use.
Here in Wisconsin, preliminary statistics show 170 drivers and passengers who died in crashes last year were not wearing seat belts.
An average of over 2,300 unbuckled occupants are injured in crashes every year.
