It's that time of the year again, with Memorial Day weekend coming up, police in the state are cracking down for the annual Click It or Ticket seat belt mobilization.
The initiative began Monday and will run through June 5.
The Auburn Police Division, Opelika Police Department, Lee County Sheriff's Department and Alabama Department of Public Safety began the campaign with an education checkpoint on East Glenn Avenue and Frederick Road Thursday.
Vehicles were stopped between 1 and 1:30 p.m. and drivers were given incentive items, including pamphlets and keychains, to encourage more consistent seat belt use.
Capt. Melvin Harrison, Opelika Police Department, said people who were stopped should consider this a warning or freebee and won't be so lucky next time.
"Starting Monday, if we see them without a seatbelt, they'll get a ticket. There's no warnings or anything. I can't stress that enough," Harrison said. "If you're driving out there without your seat belt on, we're going to cite you for that."
Alabama police will be in full force during the two-week enforcement period.
To ensure seat belts are worn around the clock, law enforcement agencies are working overtime with federal funds administered by the Central Alabama Highway Safety Office.
"We currently do this to increase the seat belt usage rate," said Scott Moore, assistant director of Central Alabama Highway Safety. "Right now Alabama is at 90 percent seat belt usage rate. Prior to these Click It or Ticket mobilizations, seat belt usage rate was down at about 75 percent, so they have been effective over the years."
Click It or Ticket began in Alabama in 2001 as a regional campaign, joining Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. In 2002, it became a national campaign.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), seat belts are safer when worn correctly and can cut the risk of death by 45 percent for passenger car occupants and 60 percent for trucks, SUVs and vans.
Between 2005 and 2009, seat belts saved more than 72,000 lives.
Monique Skaggs, junior in history, said she always wears a seat belt because she doesn't feel safe without it.
"I had a classmate in high school that had two wrecks and she was wearing a seat belt both times, and if she wasn't, she probably would have died because both cars were completely totaled," Skaggs said.
Among age groups, 13 to 15 year-olds have the highest percentage of fatal injuries because they were not buckled up in crashes with 67 percent, followed by 18 to 34 year-olds with 63 percent, according to the NHTSA.
"We just want to encourage those people, if you're not doing it yet, to do so," Moore said.
Harrison said police will be beefing up their patrols for two weeks in the central district.
Last year there were 139 patrol cars, 1,342 seat belt citations including 46 child restraint violations and 7 DUI arrests in Central Alabama.
"People out there are not as safe as you on the road, so they can be driving distracted and run into you if you're not wearing your seat belt you can get seriously injured," Moore said. "Buckle up is the safest thing you can do when you get behind the wheel of a car."
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
