Story originally printed in the Coulee News or online at www.couleenews.com
Published - Friday, May 16, 2008
Police to enforce seat belt law, usage
Buckle up, motorists, because the West Salem Police Department will be part of a nation-wide campaign to enforce safety belt use.
For the next two weeks, May 19 through June 1, law enforcement agencies around the state and the nation will take part in the national Click It or Ticket campaign, which aims to increase safety belt use.
Motorists and their passengers found not wearing a seat belt will be issued a citation, and no warnings will be given.
“It’ll be mandatory,” said West Salem Police Chief Charles Ashbeck. “During any traffic stop, if someone isn’t wearing a seat belt, we’ll be issuing them a citation, not a warning.
“Our goal is not to write more tickets but to save lives and prevent needless injuries by getting more people to buckle up voluntarily. But if voluntary compliance fails, we are prepared to enforce the state’s mandatory safety belt law.”
Ashbeck said he plans to schedule additional shifts for the department which consists of six full-time officers, including himself, and three part-time officers to enforce traffic control during the Click It or Ticket campaign.
A seat belt violation is considered a secondary violation in Wisconsin, meaning law enforcement cannot initiate a traffic stop based solely on the fact someone is seen not wearing a seat belt. Ashbeck said the WSPD enforces the state’s safety belt law on a regular basis, but he said the Click It or Ticket campaign is a good opportunity to remind people of the importance of wearing a seat belt.
“I think it’s important to have something like this once a year to just remind people, Hey, this is important,’” he said. “And maybe if we can get a few people in the habit (of wearing a seat belt), we probably might have saved a life, so it’s definitely worthwhile.”
Nation-wide, the Click It or Ticket campaign will increase nighttime enforcement of safety belt use. According to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, national studies have found that nearly two-thirds of motorists killed in nighttime crashes were not wearing a seat belt.
However, according to WisDot, national statistics show that 77 percent of passengers who were buckled up and involved in serious crashes in 2006 survived.
WisDot also points out that safety belt use in Wisconsin is at 75 percent an all-time high but it is still behind the national safety belt use rate of 82 percent. Every 1 percent increase in safety belt use in Wisconsin saves an estimated six lives a year.
“I’ve personally seen accidents where people were saved by wearing seat belts,” Ashbeck said.
“I think it’s not only important for your personal safety, but we, as parents or older people, become a role model for other people in the car.”
A citation for a seat belt violation is $10.
All stories copyright 2006 Coulee News and other attributed sources.