Click It Or Ticket Seat Belt Crackdown Underway

May 24, 2011

Law enforcement agencies across the state are teaming up for a two-week crackdown on motorists that don’t buckle up.

The Escambia and Santa Rosa sheriff’s offices, along with the Florida Highway Patrol will take part in the “Click It or Ticket” campaign.

During the mobilization, officers will be cracking down on motorists who fail to wear their seat belts – both day and night. Seatbelt non-usage is a primary violation and motorists may be stopped for not buckling up as their only offense, according to Sena Madison, a spokesperson for the Escambia Sheriff’s Office.

Local and national law enforcement officers and highway safety advocates all across the country are joining together for the 2011 national Click It or Ticket safety belt enforcement May 23 to June 5.

Florida law requires all drivers and occupants in the front seat of a vehicle to fasten their safety belt. Occupants under the age of 18, regardless of where they sit in a vehicle, also must buckle up. Safety belts have long been proven to save lives and reduce injuries when worn properly during a vehicle crash. Motorists cited for failure to buckle up face a non-moving violation that carries a $30 base fine, plus court costs if convicted.

Florida achieved a record high last year when the safety belt usage rate climbed to reach 87.4 percent, following the 2010 Click It or Ticket campaign.

Pictured above and below: Just two days after a seat belt usage crackdown began in Escambia County earlier this year, this motorist was stopped on Highway 97 after an Escambia County deputy observed him not wearing a seat belt. In an ironic twist, the bumper sticker on the truck states “Buckle Up! Or Pay Up!”. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.

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Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under General