Totals from state ‘Click It or Ticket’ seatbelt effort released

This year’s Click It or Ticket enforcement effort, coordinated by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s Office of Highway Safety (KOHS), cited 23,253 motorists for not buckling up. 
 
The annual campaign, supported by more than 250 local law enforcement agencies and Kentucky State Police, was held May 18-31.
 
The campaign’s main objective is to encourage seat belt usage through enforcement of Kentucky’s seat belt law. In the process, officers at 908 checkpoints throughout the commonwealth also made 1,406 drunken driving arrests, 1,118 felony arrests, and 1,358 drug arrests. They recovered 61 stolen vehicles and apprehended 1,523 fugitives. They also cited 11,505 drivers for speeding and 6,724 people for having no proof of automobile insurance.
 
“The goal of the Click It or Ticket campaign is not to write tickets, but to save lives,” said Transportation Secretary Joe Prather.  “We want to educate the public on the importance of wearing a seat belt and to reduce deaths and injuries along our roadways. It’s an extra benefit when traffic enforcement leads to criminal enforcement.”
                                            
Chuck Geveden, executive director of KOHS, said law enforcement agencies are a valuable resource in reducing deaths and injuries on Kentucky roadways. “We believe our educational efforts are strengthened by working closely with law enforcement throughout the year to promote our highway safety messages,” said Geveden. 
 
During the mobilization, those not buckled up or in violation of other laws received a citation. But those who were buckled received a different kind of ticket – a “Click It FOR Tickets” voucher, which allowed them to register to win a set of six tickets to the Kentucky Speedway.
 
Winners were Russ Hammermeister, of Frankfort; Walter Greene, Hopkinsville; Irene Beeler, Crestwood; Dawn Arnold, Cynthiana; Lori Eve, Frankfort, and Devon Caldwell, West Paducah.
 
Two sets of tickets were provided to each of three races – the NASCAR Nationwide Series, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and the IndyCar Series.
 
Additional rewards were provided at about 60 McDonald’s restaurants to kick-off the campaign in central and eastern Kentucky on Monday, May 18. Police officers handed out prizes, coupons and informational flyers at area drive-thrus, giving coupons to drivers and passengers wearing their seat belts.
 
“We’re pleased with the results of this year’s Click It or Ticket campaign,” said Geveden.  “The partnership between all the agencies, organizations and businesses involved was tremendous. If one life was saved, it was well worth the effort.”
 
Despite Kentucky’s primary seat belt law, Kentucky remains at the bottom nationally in seat belt usage rates, at only 73 percent.
 
There were 826 fatalities on Kentucky roadways last year, including 649 people in motor vehicles. Of those, 70 percent were not buckled.  When worn correctly, seat belts reduce the risk of fatal injury to front-seat occupants by 45 percent – and by 60 percent in pickup trucks, SUVs and minivans.