5/17/2017
Law enforcement on the lookout for unrestrained drivers during seatbelt campaign starting soon
BOISE — Memorial Day Weekend is just around the corner and with it comes the busy summer travel season. As families across the state prepare to hit the road for their summer vacation, the Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) Office of Highway Safety and its law enforcement partners are reminding drivers across the state to Click It Don't Risk It.
From May 22 through June 4, law enforcement agencies across Idaho will be on the lookout for people who choose not to wear seatbelts. This is part of a larger, nationwide effort to improve seatbelt usage across the country.
“Our law enforcement personnel see firsthand the loss of life when people refuse to buckle up,” said Sherry Jenkins of the Office of Highway Safety. “It’s such a simple thing, and it should be an automatic next step after sitting down in a vehicle.”
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, nearly half of the 22,441 passenger vehicle occupants killed in crashes in 2015 were unrestrained. In Idaho, 93 people killed in car crashes were unrestrained; more than half of those deaths could have been prevented by a seatbelt.
“Most people in Idaho wear their seatbelts,” said Jenkins. “We had an observed seatbelt rate of 81 percent in 2015 but have to do better – it’s easy to do and it saves lives.”
For more information on the Click It Don't Risk It mobilization, please visit www.nhtsa.gov/ciot.