Lake Zurich police urging seat belt use

With the holidays upon us, Lake Zurich police are warning people to wear seat belts in cars.

As of Jan. 1, 2012, everyone, no matter the age or seating position, will be required to wear a safety belt.

“I urge everyone driving on Illinois roadways this holiday season to drive carefully, do not drive impaired and, most importantly, buckle up each and every trip, night or day,” said Sgt. Tracey D. Goodyear. “Remember, the best defense against an impaired driver or a distracted driver is a safety belt.”

The Illinois Department of Transportation’s Division of Traffic Safety is proud that Illinois has a 92.9 percent daytime safety belt usage rate. However, far too many drivers and passengers still do not buckle up.

In Illinois, during the 2010 Thanksgiving holiday period, 15 vehicle occupants died in motor vehicle traffic crashes. Nine of those deaths involved a drinking driver and more than 700 people were injured.

“To lose a loved one is a terrible thing to experience, but to lose one’s life when it might have been saved by taking two seconds to buckle a safety belt is truly senseless,” Goodyear said.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration statistics show that those least likely to buckle up are teens; young adults; males; motorists traveling on rural roads; and individuals traveling in pickup trucks, especially during the late night hours.

Data shows late-night hours are when the highest percentage of motorists die in alcohol-involved crashes and the lowest percentage of vehicle occupants are properly restrained.

“If you fail to buckle up during this holiday period, you run the risk of getting a ticket, or worse, being injured or killed,” Goodyear warned. “We want all drivers and passengers to click it or ticket, day and night. And remember, drive sober or get pulled over.”

For more information about the “Click It or Ticket” and the “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaigns, visitbuckleupillinois.org.