York Town News
Police launch campaign to get people to buckle up
By Melissa Wood
YORK - Click it or ticket?
Beginning this week through June 3, extra police officers will be out in force to remind people that the choice - and the law - is to buckle up.
Supported by a $2,000 grant provided by the Maine Bureau of Highway Safety, the York Police Department is joining forces with local and state law enforcement agencies in an effort to get drivers and passengers to wear their seatbelts. The "Click It or Ticket" campaign includes a special emphasis on buckling up both day and night.
"This will be a high visibility enforcement effort, and we will be out there to see that the motoring public is buckled up and driving safely," said York Police Chief Douglas Bracy.
Maine Public Safety Commissioner Anne H. Jordan said the state still has a secondary enforcement provision for this campaign, which means a police officer cannot issue a seatbelt ticket unless the motorist has been stopped for another violation.
"Regardless of whether it is secondary or primary enforcement, seatbelts save lives and reduce injuries and our goal is to just buckle up - no excuses," she said.
The campaign is spurred by statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration showing that more than 15,000 passenger vehicle occupants died in traffic crashes between the nighttime hours of 6 p.m. and 5:59 a.m. during 2005, and 59 percent of those killed were not wearing their seatbelts at the time of the fatal crash.
York Police Sgt. Thomas Baran said although seatbelts clearly save lives, many folks still need a tough reminder.
"That's why law enforcement will be out in force buckling down on those who are not buckled up," he said. "So unless you want to risk a ticket or worse, your life, please remember to buckle up day and night."
The department's effort coincides with both national and statewide campaigns. Lauren Stewart, director of the Maine Bureau of Highway Safety, said her agency has funneled $162,000 to 81 local police departments to assist them with the additional enforcement.
Stewart said Maine's overall safety belt usage rate stands at 77 percent - lagging behind the national average of 81 percent.
The mobilization is also being supported by a projected $10 million in paid national advertising and additional advertising in each state to encourage all motorists, but especially motorists at night, to always buckle up.
