WABASH, Ind. – The Wabash County Sheriff’s Department announced today the completion of the national and statewide 2017 Click It or Ticket enforcement mobilization campaign. During the 24 day enforcement period, 18 tickets were written for lack of seat belt usage within Wabash County.
“Seat belts simply save lives,” said Sergeant, Dan Johnson. “The importance of wearing your seat belt is a priority, and this campaign expresses this message as well as making it a year-long reminder for all drivers and their occupants.”
During this enforcement period, four officers combined to work 37 overtime hours. As a result of the increased patrol eight criminal arrests were made. Two arrests were made for operating while intoxicated, five for various drug charges and one for minor consumption of alcohol.
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Adrministration (NHTSA), in 2016, 90.1 percent of drivers and passengers across the nation were wearing seat belts. Additionally, NHTSA statistics show in 2015 alone, seat belts saved an estimated 13,491 lives nationwide. In Indiana, in 2016, Indiana’s seat belt usage was 92.4 percent for all passenger vehicles.
“The cooperative agency commitment throughout the state with the Click It or Ticket campaign to encourage motorists to wear their seat belts is vital to traffic safety,” said Indiana Criminal Justice Institute Director, Dave Murtaugh. “I am appreciative of the efforts of all the participating agencies to confirm Indiana’s commitment for safer roadways.”
Click It or Ticket is an annual enforcement effort supported by federal highway safety funding. The Indiana Criminal Justice Institute distributes funding to more than 250 participating Indiana law enforcement agencies.
For more information regarding the Click It or Ticket enforcement mobilization campaign, please visit: http://www.nhtsa.gov/nhtsa/ciot/index.html. To learn more about Wabash County Sheriff’s Department, visit www.wcsd.us