Pickup trucks and SUVs feel safer because they are larger and sit higher to the road. Seat belts were estimated to save an additional 14,668 lives. In 2016, there were 10,428 unbuckled motorists killed in crashes in the United States. Indiana has made great progress through stronger laws and highly-visible enforcement, but the small percentage who still don’t buckle up make up nearly half of those killed on our roadways. You are more likely to have property damage, be injured or killed in a traffic crash than be a victim of burglary, violent crime or murder, respectivelyįrom 2000 to 2017, the Purdue University Center for Road Safety says that seat-belt usage increased from 62 to 93 percent, beating the most recent national average of 90.1 percent. There are TV shows and podcasts about violent crime investigations, but first responders actually see more traffic crashes. Anyone who responds to a serious crash just wants motorists to buckle up in the first place.” “So why are we warning everyone in advance? Because the bottom line is not issuing seat-belt citations, but saving lives. Tony Maze of the Fort Wayne Police Department. “Click It or Ticket means zero-tolerance for unrestrained drivers and passengers,” said Lt. Last year, more than 240 law enforcement agencies performed 8,728 hours of traffic patrols and issued more than 30,000 citations or warnings, of which about 13,700 were seat-belt and child-restraint citations. Indiana has participated in Click It or Ticket for more than 20 years. Since that time, Indiana – along with 34 other states – has enacted a primary seat-belt law, meaning that police can pull you over for being unbuckled. 2018 marks 30 years since Indiana’s seat-belt law began. Overtime police patrols are paid with National Highway Traffic Safety Administration funds administered by the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute (ICJI).

Multiple weeks of high-visibility patrols will be watching for unrestrained passengers in cars and trucks, both children and adults, the front seat and back, both day and night.Ĭlick It or Ticket continues through the start of the summer travel season, including the Memorial Day holiday. (ADAMS) – Later this month, Fort Wayne, New Haven, Allen County and Woodburn Police Departments will join law enforcement agencies across Indiana and the nation to increase enforcement of seat-belt laws for Click It or Ticket.

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