Motorists who refuse to wear their seat belts – beware. The Kentucky State Police is joining the 2014 national Click It or Ticket seat belt enforcement mobilization on Monday to help save lives by cracking down on those who don’t buckle up.
“As motorists take to the roads to celebrate the long Memorial Day weekend, we want to ensure that everyone arrives at their destination safe and sound,” Captain Nathan Kent said. “We’ll be out in force – day and night – prepared to ticket anyone not wearing a seat belt.”
There were 638 total highway fatalities in Kentucky in 2013, with 483 killed in motor vehicles. Of those 483 fatalities, 278 were not wearing a seat belt.
“There are too many people dying on our roads,” Kent said. “Many of those lives could have been saved with the simple snap of a seat belt.”
Kentucky’s seat belt usage rate increased with the passage of the primary law from 67.2 percent in 2006 to 85 percent in 2013. However, that is still below the national usage rate of 87 percent.
For more on the national Click It or Ticketmobilization, please visit www.nhtsa.gov/ciot.
