(Stillwater, Okla.) — Stillwater police are taking part in the national “Click It or Ticket” campaign, which began Monday and runs through May 31, Stillwater Police Captain Kyle Gibbs said in a news release.
Law enforcement agencies across the state are cracking down on drivers and passengers who are not buckled up according to state law and city ordinances, Gibbs said.
“We can’t make the decision to buckle up for you, and we hope it won’t take getting a ticket to help you remember to fasten that seat belt or buckle your child correctly.
“Unless you want to risk a ticket – or even worse your life — you must buckle up,” Gibbs emphasized.
During the two-week campaign, Stillwater police will increase vigilance and enforcement of seat belt violations, Gibb said.
“Under Stillwater city ordinance the fine for failure to wear a seat belt is $20. The fine for failure to secure a child in a child restraint system while operating a motor vehicle is $99,” Gibbs said.
“Oklahoma law requires drivers and front-seat passengers age 13 and over to have a safety belt properly fastened at all times the vehicle is being operated.
“Children age 12 and younger are required to be properly restrained in the appropriate car seat, booster seat or seat belt, according to the child’s age and weight,” Gibbs said.
In 2013 in Oklahoma, 678 people died on the state’s roadways, Gibbs said.
Of the 439 deaths in which the use or lack of use of seat belts was known, 55 percent were not restrained, Gibbs said.
“More than 41 percent of unrestrained fatalities were ejected from the vehicle,” Gibbs said.
Seat belts save about 13,000 lives each year, according to the National Highway Transportation Administration, Gibbs said.
“Our hope is that every motorist uses a seat belt – it’s so much safer that way,” Gibbs emphasized.
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