The La Porte Police Department announced today the completion of the national and statewide 2016 Click It or Ticket enforcement mobilization campaign. During the 25 day enforcement period, 143 tickets were written for lack of seat belt usage and four were written for child restraint violations within the City of La Porte. All told, 173 citations and 206 warnings were issued by officers working extra patrols during the blitz period which ran from May 6 -30.
“Plain and simple, seat belts save lives,” said Captain Tom Heath. “Reminding drivers and their occupants of the importance of wearing your seat belt is a priority we do not take lightly, and while this campaign increases that conversation during the month of May, buckling up is an action we all need to take, all year long.”
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in 2015, 88.5 percent of drivers and passengers across the nation were wearing seat belts. Additionally, NHTSA statistics show in 2014 alone, seat belts saved an estimated 12,802 lives nationwide. In Indiana, in 2014, seat belt usage in passenger cars was 90.2 percent.
“The combined partnerships created through this campaign are pivotal in ensuring motorists across the state protect themselves and their passengers by buckling up,” said Indiana Criminal Justice Institute Director, Dave Murtaugh. “I want to thank all of the participating agencies for their dedication to share this message and their efforts to save lives.”
Click It or Ticket is an annual enforcement effort supported by federal highway safety funding. The Indiana Criminal Justice Institute distributes funding to more than 250 participating Indiana law enforcement agencies.
For more information regarding the Click It or Ticket enforcement mobilization campaign, please visit: http://www.nhtsa.gov/nhtsa/ciot/index.html. To learn more about the La Porte Police Department please visit: http:///www.lpcitypd.com/.