SGPD warn motorists to Click It or Ticket

With the holidays upon us, the Spring Grove Police Department warns that whether you are traveling across town or across the state, if you or anyone in your vehicle is unbelted, you run the risk of getting an unwelcomed gift from law enforcement. As of Jan. 1, 2012, everyone, no matter that age or seating position, will be required to wear a seat belt.

“I urge everyone driving on Illinois roadways this holidays season to drive carefully, do not drive impaired and most importantly, buckle up each and ever trip, night or day. Remember, the best defense against an impaired driver or a distracted driver is a safety belt,” said Chief Thomas Sanders.

The Illinois Department of Transportation’s Division of Traffic Safety is proud that Illinois has a 92.9 percent daytime seat belt usage. How ever far too many drivers and passengers still do not buckle up. In Illinois during the Thanksgiving holiday in 2010, 15 vehicle occupants died in motor vehicle crashes; nine of those deaths involved a drinking driver and over 700 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,” said Sanders.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration stats show that those least likely to buckle up are teens; young adults, males, motorists traveling on rural roads and individuals traveling in pick up trucks, especially late at night. Data shows late night hours are when the highest percentage of motorists die in alcohol related crashes and the lower 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, Sanders warned. The same applies when you have been drinking and choose to drive. “We want all drivers and passengers to Click It or Ticket day and night and remember, Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.”

Regular seat belt use is the single most effective way to protect people and reduce fatalities in motor crashes, according to the NHTSA. Research has show that when lap and shoulder belts are used properly the risk of fatal injury to front-seat passenger car occupants is reduced by 45 percent and the risk of moderate to serious injury is reduced by 50 percent. Remember, the best defense against an impaired drive is a safety belt.

For more information about Click It or Ticket It and the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaigns, log on to www.buckleupillinois.org.


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