Click it or Ticket runs May 14-31

Wearing your safety belt is the single most effective crash protection available. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2008 the use of safety belts in passenger vehicles saved an estimated 13,250 lives.

An additional 4,152 lives would have been saved if all unrestrained passenger vehicle occupants 5 and older involved in fatal crashes had worn their safety belts. However, a safety belt cannot save even one life if it is not used. That is where enforcement comes into play. High-visibility enforcement campaigns such as the annual Click It or Ticket mobilization are widely credited with increasing the Illinois safety belt usage rate from 76.2 percent in 2003 to 91.7 percent in 2009.

The Itasca Police Department joins the Illinois Department of Transportation and more than 500 local, county and state law enforcement agencies in support of this year's mobilization. During May 14-31, motorists in Itasca can expect to receive tickets, not warnings, if officers find them out on the roads unbuckled.

Because nighttime drivers are least likely to buckle up, nighttime enforcement has become a hallmark of Click It or Ticket. Nationwide, of those who died in nighttime crashes in 2008, nearly 64 percent were not wearing a safety belt. Therefore, motorists can expect that Itasca police will be out in force, day and night.

Teens and young adults, who neglect to buckle up in greater numbers than any other age demographic, are also at an increased risk of dying in a crash. Sadly, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for American youth, exceeding all crime and disease-related causes.

No one likes to receive a ticket, but there is no question about it: safety belts save lives. Spread the word to your family and friends to buckle up.

Scott Heher

Itasca police chief