TEXARKANA — The Texarkana Arkansas Police Department (TAPD) announced Thursday they will be taking part of a national law enforcement campaign to encourage motorists to wear their safety belts.
The “Click It Ticket” campaign is part of the “Border to Border” event runs through Nov. 29, and TAPD will participate in the event on Nov. 16.
The seat belt awareness campaign is coordinated with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to promote highly visible seat belt enforcement and providing seat belt fact sheets for drivers at heavily traveled, highly visible state border checkpoints.
The NHTSA says in 2018 there were 9,778 unbuckled passenger vehicle occupants who died in crashes in the country. In 2018, there were also 56% of the passenger vehicle occupants who were killed at night and not wearing their seat belts.
“The Border to Border component of the Click It or Ticket campaign is so important because it raises awareness about seat belt safety and reminds people that seat belts aren’t optional,” said Sgt. Les Colley. “The Thanksgiving holiday is one of the busiest travel weekends of the year. Families will be heading out to spend time with their loved ones, so it’s imperative we get the word out about the importance of seat belts.”
Sgt. Colley says that if the campaign is able to wake up passengers and drivers to the dangers of being in a vehicle while not wearing their seat belt, then the mission will be considered a success.
Said Sgt. Colley: “If the enforcement campaign wakes people up to the dangers of unrestrained driving, we’ll consider our mission to be a success 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. Help us spread this lifesaving message before one more friend or family member is killed as a result of this senseless inaction. Seat belts save lives, and everyone — front seat and back, child and adult — needs to remember to buckle up — every trip, every time.”
For more information on the “Click It or Ticket” event, visit www.nhtsa.gov/ciot.
