The Memorial Day holiday weekend is a busy time for Americans. Each year, the highways fill with families in vehicles, traveling to summer vacation spots. To help keep drivers and passengers safe, Sweetwater County Law Enforcement is reminding motorists to Click It or Ticket. The national seat belt campaign began May 21stand goes through June 3rd, and in Sweetwater County expect an even greater effort over the busy Memorial holiday weekend.
Sheriff Mike Lowell and Chiefs Dwane Pacheco and Tom Jarvie all agree: “Wearing your seatbelt is simple, and it can keep you and your loved ones safe in a crash. Wearing your seatbelt is the state law. Our law enforcement officers see firsthand the deadly effects of not buckling up. We see the senseless loss of life and it could be prevented by just taking a moment to buckle up.
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“Memorial Day weekend is nearly here, and you can see traffic increasing. We in law enforcement want to make sure folks are doing everything they can to protect themselves in a crash and that means buckling up. If the tickets and citations awaken people to the dangers of not buckling up, we’ll consider it a success.â€
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says, nearly half (48%) of the passenger vehicle occupants killed in crashes in 2016 were unrestrained. At night, that number soared to 56 percent of those killed. That’s why one focus of the Click It or Ticket campaign is nighttime enforcement. Sweetwater County Law Enforcement will be taking a zero-tolerance approach to seat belt law enforcement, writing citations day and night.
Law enforcement officials in Sweetwater County point out that in 2016, 4 of the 6 passenger vehicle fatalities there were not buckled. Nationwide, almost twice as many males were killed in crashes as compared to females, with lower belt use rates, too. Of the males killed in crashes in 2016, more than half (52%) were unrestrained. For females killed in crashes, 40 percent were not buckled up.
“If you know anyone who won’t wear a seatbelt, ask them to take the time to do the right thing and buckle up. Please help us share this message before one more friend or family member is killed because they won’t buckle up. Seat belts save lives, and everyone—front seat and back, child and adult—needs to remember to buckle up—every trip, every time.â€
Along with this enhanced enforcement effort, the Wyoming Highway Patrol is urging drivers to help keep Wyoming’s roadways safe by calling the Report Every Drunk Driver Immediately (REDDI) hotline number (800) 442-9090 to report suspected drunk drivers. Callers should be prepared to provide the dispatcher with a description of the vehicle, its location, and direction of travel.
