The Brownwood Police Department, Early Police Department and TxDOT held their official kick off for the 12th annual Click it or Ticket seat belt safety campaign Monday morning at the Brown County Law Enforcement Center.
Texas Department of Transportation Safety Specialist Jeanni Luckey gave a bit of history related to vehicle safety.
“This year we honor President Lyndon B. Johnson because of his belief in vehicle safety standards and making our highways safer for all Americans,” she said. “In, 1966 LBJ signed into law the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act requiring all automobile manufacturers to install seat belts in vehicles starting in 1968, 45 years ago. This legislation also led to other safety standards that we often take for granted such as air bags, highway guard rails and shatter resistant windshields, which were not present before 1968.”
She quoted President Johnson who believed, “Safety is no luxury item, no optional extra, it must be a normal cost of business.”
The statistics are staggering said Luckey. “From 1966-2000 motor vehicle death rates fell almost 72%. Almost 200,000 lives were saved between 1975 and 2004 alone.”
Brownwood Chief of Police Mike Corley and Early Chief of Police David Mercer spoke on their departments’ support of the Click it or Ticket campaign.
“In 2012, there were 3,400 fatalities due to traffic crashes across the state,” stated Corley.”
Corley stated that Brownwood Police Department always diligently enforces the seat belt law, but will be doing even more during this campaign. He said that the public needs to “see the whole picture,” pointing out other safety issues such driving safely, not speeding and not texting while driving in addition to fastening seat belts.
Brownwood Assistant Chief James Fuller stated that not wearing seat belts costs too many lives each year.
“It is a community problem and it is a community effort of course to solve this problem, so I’m appreciative of what we can do and how we can work together along with these other agencies to try and take care of this problem.”
Chief Mercer stated that officers write these tickets for not wearing seat belts as a reminder to drivers for their safety.
“Police officers take no pleasure in issuing tickets to people not wearing their seatbelts, but sometimes beats the alternative. Too often we have to explain to family or friends the death or injury of a loved one killed in a crash not wearing their seatbelts,” said Mercer. “We need drivers and passengers to do their part when they step into a vehicle, as a better way to survive a crash.”
TxDOT states that Texans wear their belt buckles with a certain Lone Star pride, but it’s the buckles in their vehicles that could save their lives.
“The cost of not wearing seat belts is far greater than a ticket or fine,” said Phil Wilson, TxDOT executive director in a press release. “Simply put, a seat belt could save your life. Public awareness is working, but we still see some teenagers, pickup truck passengers and rural Texans who aren’t buckling.
Today, 94 percent are wearing seat belts. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates the Click It or Ticket campaign has saved nearly 3,700 lives and prevented more than 50,000 serious injuries since its launch. The increase in seat belt usage also has saved an estimated $10 billion in wages and productivity losses, medical expenses, insurance premiums, taxes and other costs.
Despite an increase in seat belt compliance, there is more work to be done with the lives of Texans at stake. Initial TxDOT data from 2012 indicates traffic-related fatalities in Texas are up by 11 percent. In 2012, there were 3,400 fatalities due to traffic crashes across the state.
Data also shows that only 82 percent of pickup passengers are buckled when riding compared to more than 91 percent of passengers riding in cars. Pickups also are more likely than passenger cars to roll over or eject unrestrained occupants in a crash.
As part of the Click It or Ticket initiative, law enforcement officials across the state will be looking for and ticketing unbuckled drivers and passengers in an effort to raise safety awareness and prevent fatalities. By Texas law, all occupants of a vehicle, including back seat passengers, must wear a seat belt. Each unbuckled occupant faces a ticket and fines up to $200, plus court costs. Last year, more than 21,200 seat belt citations were issued during the Click It or Ticket campaign.
This year’s campaign enforcement period dates are May 20th-June 2nd.
Learn more about Click It or Ticket by liking the TxDOT Facebook page at
