The Whitewater Police Department has begun to mobilize, along with hundreds of other law enforcement agencies throughout Wisconsin, for the annual Click It or Ticket safety belt enforcement campaign which kicked off May 19 and will run through Sunday, June 1.
Whitewater police officers are on the lookout day and night for unbuckled motorists. For those not wearing a safety belt, the police will stop the vehicle and issue a ticket.
During the Click It or Ticket mobilization and throughout the year, the Whitewater Police Department will stringently enforce Wisconsin’s mandatory safety belt law. Through enforcement and education, the department is striving to get people to buckle up every time they drive or ride in a vehicle.
In Wisconsin, approximately one out of five motorists does not buckle up, according to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. More than half of the drivers and passengers killed in Wisconsin traffic crashes in 2013 were not wearing safety belts. Last year, there were more than 70,000 convictions for failure to fasten a seat belt.
“Consistent safety belt use is the most effective protection against being ejected from a vehicle during a crash or thrown around violently inside it and possibly hitting another person in the vehicle with massive force,” Lieutenant Tim Gray said.
“Our officers are serious about safety belt enforcement because we’re determined to reach the goal of zero preventable traffic deaths in Wisconsin,” Gray added.
