From Needham Police Lt. Chris Baker:

As part of a nationwide effort to save lives, the Needham Police Department, in partnership with the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security’s (EOPSS) Highway Safety Division (HSD), the State Police and nearly 190 other local departments, is launching a high-visibility seat belt enforcement blitz called Click It or Ticket.  The message is simple: Massachusetts drivers and passengers should always wear their seat belts or be ready to face the consequences. 

This special crackdown, beginning May 23 and running through June 5, marks the first seat belt enforcement mobilization across the state this year, designed to increase seat belt use and decrease motor vehicle fatalities and injuries. More than 180 police departments and the State Police have adopted zero-tolerance policies for seat belt violations, signaling the increasing importance of the issue.

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), based on known usage, 52 percent of the passenger vehicle occupants killed in motor vehicle crashes in Massachusetts during 2009 were not wearing their seat belts at the time of the crash, three percent higher than the national average.

That’s why the Needham Police Department applied for a federal grant from EOPSS/HSD along with their national, statewide and local partners to conduct this special Click It or Ticket seat belt enforcement mobilization. Funded by EOPSS/HSD through a federal grant, stepped-up law enforcement activities will be conducted in late May and early June. So remember, if you are pulled over for violating traffic laws, law enforcement will be checking to make sure drivers and passengers are wearing their seat belts. No more excuses. Click It or Ticket.

For more information, visit mass.gov/highwaysafety.

 * According to NHTSA, all numbers and percentages referencing belted or unbelted fatalities are based on “Known Usage.”