Click It or Ticket Means Zero Tolerance
For Unbuckled Thanksgiving Travelers
By Gordon Fox 2Pass Defensive Driving School
Are you traveling this Thanksgiving? Millions of Americans will take to the roadways to spend the holiday with family and friends. In fact, Thanksgiving weekend is one of the busiest travel times of the year. But there’s one simple thing that too many travelers are failing to do: buckle up.
Wearing your seat belt is the single most effective way to save your life in the event of a crash, yet almost half (49%) of all passenger vehicle occupants killed in crashes in 2014 were unrestrained at the time of their fatal crash.
That’s why this Thanksgiving, 2Pass Defensive Driving School is teaming up with the United States Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for a special Click It or Ticket mobilization to look out for all those who are not buckling up.
High-visibility enforcement is an effective way to send the message that seat belts save lives. For many people, simply seeing law enforcement officers patrolling the roads is an effective reminder to follow traffic safety laws.
In Arizona, the law requires seat belt use for all front seat passengers.
During the 2014 Thanksgiving holiday period, 341 passenger vehicle occupants were killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes nationwide. Sadly, 50 percent of those killed were not wearing seat belts at the time of their fatal crash. Even more, 58 percent of those who were killed in Thanksgiving weekend crashes that occurred at night were unrestrained.
These deaths may have been prevented with proper seat belt use. Research shows that with proper seat belt use, the risk of fatal injury to front seat passengers is reduced by 45 percent, and the risk of moderate to serious injury is reduced by 50 percent.
According to NHTSA, seat belts saved 12,802 lives nationwide in 2014. If everyone had worn seat belts that year, an additional 2,814 lives could have been saved. Imagine how different this Thanksgiving holiday would be for the friends and family of those 2,814 individuals who should have buckled up.
NHTSA research shows that in fatal crashes, males are more likely to be unbuckled than females, and younger drivers and passengers are the most likely to be unbuckled. In 2014, 53 percent of males killed in crashes were not buckled up, compared to 40 percent of females. And 13- to 15-year-olds and 25- to 34-year-olds had the highest percentages (59%) of occupants killed who were not wearing their seat belts at the time of their fatal crash.
This Thanksgiving, give thanks for the lifesaving capabilities of your seat belt—and wear it. You never know when you’ll get in a crash, and you certainly don’t want to see the police in your rearview mirror.
Expect to see heavy patrolling on the roadways this Thanksgiving holiday, and always buckle up. Remember: Click It or Ticket.