KPD e-News Release: Kingsport Police Department Prioritizing Seat Belt Enforcement During National “Click It or Ticket” Campaign

	Kingsport Police Department David Quillin, Chief of Police 200 Shelby Street • Kingsport, TN 37660 http://Police.KingsportTN.gov • www.KingsportPDBlog.com
NEWS RELEASE
SUBJECT:		Kingsport Police Department Prioritizing Seat Belt Enforcement During National “Click It or Ticket” Campaign
DATE:		May 21, 2018

GENERAL NARRATIVE
As summer kicks off and families hit the road for vacation, the Kingsport Police Department is partnering with the Tennessee Highway Safety Office (THSO) to remind motorists to “Click It or Ticket.” From May 21 to June 3, 2018 participating agencies across the state will increase seat belt enforcement as part of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) nationwide mobilization. Buckling up is such a simple task that can keep you and your family safe in the car, but it is so much more than that. Buckling up is the law. Law enforcement, and other first responders, see the consequences of not buckling up firsthand. We see the loss of life. Often, it could have been prevented with the simple click of a seat belt. It should be automatic. According to Tennessee’s Integrated Traffic Analysis Network (TITAN), 315 people killed in Tennessee traffic crashes last year were not wearing a seat belt. This represents approximately 30 percent of the state’s total traffic fatalities in 2017. According to the NHTSA, nearly half (48 percent) of the passenger vehicle occupants killed in crashes in 2016 were unrestrained. At night from 6:00 PM to 6:00 AM, that number soared to 56 percent of those killed. That is why one focus of the “Click It or Ticket” campaign is nighttime enforcement. Participating law enforcement agencies will be taking a no-excuses approach to seat belt law enforcement, writing citations day and night. For more information about seat belt safety or the THSO, visit www.TNTrafficSafety.org.