Chadron — 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 24 through June 6.
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 24, 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 Chelsey Stolley. “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.”
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 55% 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 Chelsey Stolley.
According to the 2020 Nebraska Seat Belt Use Survey report, Nebraska’s overall seat belt use rate for 2020 was 80.6%. The Click It or Ticket campaign is focusing on the remaining 19.4% who still don’t buckle up. Thousands of lives could be saved each year if every person was properly restrained on the road.
Following are some of the statistics during May 24th – June 6th:
Chadron Police Department had contact with 64 motorists
2 Speeding citations
1 Child restraint citations
2 Stop Sign violation citations
2 Citations for No Operators License
1 Driving during Suspension citation & 1 arrest
2 Warrant arrests
3 Felony arrests
3 MIP Citations
22 warnings for speeding
17 Stop Sign Violation warnings
12 Headlight/taillight violation warnings