Thanks to Chadron Chief of Police, Rick Hickstein
The Chadron Police Department raised awareness about seat belt safety to area residents during its annual Click It or Ticket high-visibility seat belt enforcement campaign, held May 23 through June 5.
Law enforcement officers wrote a total of 4 citations for seat belt violations in the process. The campaign, which coincided with the Memorial Day holiday, was twofold: to combine increased enforcement and a zero-tolerance policy, with effective communication to road users on the importance of seat belt use.
On May 23, the campaign commenced with Border to Border, a one-day, 4-hour national seat belt awareness event coordinated by participating state highway safety offices and their respective law enforcement liaisons. “This year’s Click It or Ticket campaign was a real success,” said Sergeant Chet Swanson. “Through our enforcement efforts, we believe we helped keep community members safe and reminded drivers of the importance of buckling up. Issuing tickets was not our goal, but it was a way to remind people of the importance of such a simple action.”
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), more than half of the passenger vehicle occupants killed in crashes in 2020 were unrestrained. During this year’s campaign, NHTSA urged law enforcement nationwide to issue seat belt citations to anyone caught in violation of the law — during the day, and especially at night, when 58% of those killed are unrestrained. By adding patrols at night, and training officers on specific techniques to catch nighttime violators, the campaign — and the nighttime focus — was a “major success,” according to Sergeant Chet Swanson.
The Chadron Police Department had 8 officers participate in the campaign. Each officer was assigned to work 4 hours towards the campaign from May 23 to June 5. Each officer worked their 4 hour block on different days and at different times of the day. During this time a total of 44 traffic stops were made resulting in 11 citations being issued, 4 of which were seatbelt violations. Another observational study was conducted in the City of Chadron after the campaign had concluded, and it was found 62% of the observed motorists were wearing restraints. A 2% increase from before the campaign.
The national seat belt use rate in 2020 was 90.3%. The Click It or Ticket campaign is focusing on the remaining 9.7% who still don’t buckle up. Thousands of lives could be saved each year if every person was properly restrained on the road.
For more information on the Click It or Ticket mobilization, please visit NHTSA.gov/ciot or contact the Chadron Police Department or Sergeant Chet Swanson at (308) 432-0510.