By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
Buckling your seat belt is one of the easiest things you can do to limit injury and potentially save your life during a crash, but there are still many citizens that choose not to buckle up.
This week will round out the annual “Click
It or Ticket” campaign that law enforcement across the country participate in
to bring more awareness to the importance of buckling your seat belt.
Great Bend Police Chief Steve Haulmark said officers use the national seat belt
campaign to educate citizens.
"We honor this week with an eye towards education rather than ticket writing," said Haulmark. "There's always that possibility you could be ticketed, but we hope we can gain compliance. It's easier to do that with a warning than a ticket. We want to talk to people about the campaign."
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there were
10,893 unbuckled vehicle occupants killed in crashes in the United States in
2020.
Haulmark said spotting drivers and passengers without seat belts is easier
than you would think.
"Officers will see them sitting at stop lights or in school zones where people are driving slow," said Haulmark. "Pulling up next to someone works too or watching traffic on the smaller streets."
The campaign ends June 5 and is targeted to all drivers, but
especially those between 18 and 34 years old.
"Particularly high school kids...we'd like to get them doing the right thing at a young age," added Haulmark.