Click It or Ticket Campaign Kicks Off to Promote Seat Belt Use
Click It or Ticket Campaign Kicks Off to Promote Seat Belt Use
Warren County Safe Communities Coalition, Lebanon Ford partner for awareness event.
MIDDLETOWN, Ohio (May 17, 2021) – The Warren County Safe Communities Coalition is reminding drivers and passengers about the lifesaving benefits of wearing a seat belt, ahead of an expected busy summer travel season.
Aimed at enforcing seat belt use to help keep families safe, the national seat belt campaign, Click It or Ticket, will take place May 17 through June 6, concurrent with the busy travel season, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
“Buckling your seat belt and making sure all passengers in your car have buckled their seat belts is a simple task that can keep you and your family safe, and most importantly, alive,” said Ann Brock, coordinator for Warren County Safe Communities Coalition and trauma outreach coordinator for Atrium Medical Center’s Level III Trauma Center.
According to NHTSA, in 2019, there were 9,466 unbuckled passenger vehicle occupants killed in crashes in the United States. Of Warren County’s 19 roadway fatalities in 2019, 13 of those were people not wearing a seat belt, according to Brock.
“You may think you’re safe in a certain vehicle like a pickup truck, or on a certain road, like many of our country roads in Warren County. But the truth is, you are safest when you are buckled up,” Brock said.
Warren County Safe Communities and Lebanon Ford are partnering to host a high-energy, team competition that demonstrates the little amount of time it takes to fasten a seat belt. Teams of four are invited to compete for prizes courtesy of Lebanon Ford during the event at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 19, at the auto dealership located at 770 Columbus Ave., in Lebanon.
Modeled after the SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) Quick-Click Challenge, a team of four people will enter a vehicle, buckling up in one of the four seat positions. Team members advance clockwise around the car until they have buckled up in all four positions, with the fastest team being named the winner.
Law enforcement officers will be cracking down on unbuckled motorists and passengers as part of the national Click It or Ticket campaign. The national mobilization utilizes high visibility seat belt checkpoints and saturation patrols, in combination with local and national publicity efforts, to reiterate the life-saving value of seat belts, according to the NHTSA.
“If you know a friend or a family member who does not buckle up when they drive, please ask them to consider changing their habits. Seat belts save lives, and everyone — front seat and back, child and adult — needs to buckle up,” Brock said.
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Media contact:
Jennifer Burcham
Site manager, PR, Atrium Medical Center
Cell: 513-214-8307
