Local Law Enforcement Participating in Click It or Ticket Campaign

May 4, 2007

Nearly one in four Missourians still fail to regularly wear their safety belts when driving or riding in a motor vehicle. Among those least likely to buckle up: young males, pickup truck drivers and their passengers, people who live in rural areas, and nighttime drivers.  The Clayton Police Department announced that it will join law enforcement from May 21 through June 3 for the aggressive national Click It or Ticket mobilization to crack down on Missouri’s safety belt law violators and to reduce highway fatalities.

Failure to regularly wear a safety belt can be deadly. In 2005, a driver in a Missouri traffic crash had a 1 in 32 chance of being killed if they were not wearing a seat belt. In cases where the driver wore a seat belt, their chance of being killed was 1 in 1,017.

“Safety belts clearly save lives. But unfortunately too many folks still need a tough reminder, so we are going to be out in force buckling down on those who are not buckled up,” said Clayton Police Chief Tom Byrne. “Unless you want to risk a ticket, or worse - your life, you need to remember to ‘Click It or Ticket’ day and night, and Arrive Alive.”

Regular safety belt use is the single most effective way to protect people and reduce fatalities in motor vehicle crashes. When worn correctly, safety belts have proven to reduce the risk of fatal injury to front-seat passengers by 45 percent, and by 60 percent in pickup trucks, SUVs and mini-vans.