Greenville Police Department Joins Click lt or Ticket

To Crack Down on Seat Belt Use - Especially at Night

Greenville, OH - The Greenville Police Department willjoin local and national law enforcement
officers and highway safety advocates all across the country for the 2016 national Click lt or Ticket
seat belt enforcement mobilization, May 23-June 1, 2016.

During the mobilization, officers will be cracking down on motorists who fail to wear their seat belts, both day and night.

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in 2004, seat belt nonuse alone caused an estimated $18 billion in economic costs to society. When people don't wear seat belts, the potential costs increase because unbelted crash victims receive worse injuries and more fatalities than belted crash victims. Inpatient rehabilitation costs for motor vehicle injuries average $11,265 per patient. On average, it costs more than twice as much to treat an unbelted victim than a belted one, due to these increased injuries. 52 percent of the 21,253 passenger vehicle occupants killed in 2011 were not wearing their safety belts at the time of the crash. In 2012, of the fatal crashes where safety belt information was known, 61 percent of the people killed on Ohio's roadways were not wearing a safety restraint.

"Too many drivers and passengers are not wearing their safety belts, and it all too often ends in tragedy," said Ohio Department of Public Safety Director, John Born. "Our goal is to save more lives; therefore, our law enforcement partners will be out enforcing safety belt laws around the clock."

"Many more nighttime traffic deaths can be prevented if more motorists simply start wearing their seat belts. That's why the Greenville Police Department is strongly supporting enhanced nighttime enforcement of seat belt laws during the May 23 - June 1, 2016, Click It or Ticket campaign," said Chief Dennis L. Butts. "We will be out in force to remind drivers and occupants to always wear their seat belts - both day and night."

High-visibility enforcement such as the Click lt or Ticket mobilization is credited with increasing the
national belt usage rate from 58 percent in 1994 to an observed usage rate of 85 percent in 2010.

Belt use saves thousands of lives each year across America. In 2009 alone, seat belts saved 12,713 lives nationwide.

Law enforcement will be cracking down on Click lt or Ticket violators around the clock. Local motorists should be prepared to buckle up. lf law enforcement finds you on the road unbuckled anytime or anywhere, you can expect to get a ticket - not a warning. No excuses and no exceptions," said Chief Butts.

While this year's Click lt or Ticket enforcement mobilization runs through June 1st, troopers will continue their zero tolerance policy year-round when motorists are stopped for other violations and are found to not be wearing their safety belt.

More than 900 law enforcement partners around Ohio, including the Ohio State Highway Patrol, will be aggressively enforcing the law during the mobilization, which runs May 23 - June 1,2016. "lt's simple - safety belts save lives and reduce injury in crashes," said John Born, Director, Ohio Department of Public Safety. "It is the easiest thing you can do to protect yourself, your family and your friends."

Remember this May 23rd to June 1st: lt's Click It or Ticket. Buckle up and encourage your loved
ones to do the same. You'll save the cost of a ticket and may even save a life.