Click It campaign kicks into high gear

Dear Editor:

Imagine the sensation that would result if we reported finding a way to save thousands of lives a year without spending a penny and all it required was a few seconds of everybody’s time. All it would take for this to happen is for everyone to buckle up every time he or she gets in a motor vehicle.

More than 40,000 people are killed on America’s highways each year. In Louisiana alone 979 people were killed in crashes last year. Sadly, 65 percent of those killed on Louisiana highways were not buckled up.

Wearing a seat belt improves by 45 percent your chance of surviving a crash. It doesn’t take a mathematician to figure out that a lot of the people who died in crashes would be alive today, if only they had worn their seat belts.

During the second half of May, the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission is sponsoring our annual Click It or Ticket campaign through which we provide grants to State Police and local agencies to conduct overtime patrols and checkpoints dedicated to enforcing the state’s seat belt law. The campaign also includes extensive advertising.

Last year, officers issued more than 35,000 citations during our Click It or Ticket campaign. Those of us in highway safety wish that no tickets had to be written because everybody buckled up. Unfortunately, that’s not the case in Louisiana, where about 25 percent of motorists refuse to wear their seat belts.

Don’t be a statistic, either as a crash fatality, injury or as one who was ticketed for violating the state’s seat belt law. Bucking up takes a few seconds and is the most effective and simple step you can take to keep safe while driving. Hundreds of law enforcement officers are working extra hours through the end of May to drive home the seat belt message. For those who refuse to obey the law, our Click It or Ticket campaign will greatly increase the odds that they’ll be pulled over and ticketed.

Sincerely,

Lt. Col. John LeBlanc,

executive director

Louisiana Highway Safety Commission