• 24
  • May
    2010

As Memorial Day quickly approaches, federal transportation officials and Wisconsin law enforcement authorities are gearing up for their annual "Click It or Ticket" campaign to get drivers and their passengers to buckle up. Over 300 law enforcement agencies in Wisconsin are expected to participate in the program which begins today and runs through June 6th. During this period, Wisconsin law enforcement officials can stop and ticket unbelted motorists even if they are not violating other traffic laws.

Each year, the U.S. Department of Transportation executes this program in an attempt to curb the number of car accident fatalities due to unbelted motorists. Currently, the U.S. has the highest ever rate of seat belt use among motorists (84 percent) but transportation officials want to continue to send a message to the remaining 16 percent that choose to drive unbuckled. 

According to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, Wisconsin currently has a seat belt usage rate of 74 percent, which is one of the lowest in the nation (44th out of 50 states) and well below the national average of 84 percent. Nearly half of all fatal crashes in Wisconsin last year involved unbuckled motorists. In 2009, safety violations including seat belt tickets exceed 100,000, which accounted for about 12 percent of all traffic convictions.  

Wisconsin officials hope this program helps increase the usage rate for motorists in the state. A 10 percent increase in seat belt use by Wisconsin motorists would save about 44 lives and prevent 605 injuries each year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

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