Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office seat belt campaign

Drivers and passengers are urged to wear their seat belts every time they get in a vehicle, especially during summer events and vacations.

Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office is partnering with Tennessee Highway Safety Office to remind motorists to “Click It or Ticket.”

Law enforcement agencies across the state will increase seat belt enforcement as part of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s nationwide campaign May 20 to June 2.

“Drivers should always buckle up and make sure their passengers always wear seat belts whenever they are riding in a vehicle,” said Sgt. Michael Rodgers. “Buckling up is a simple habit that can keep you and your family safe in the car.

“Our deputies arriving at crash scenes too often see deaths and injuries suffered because drivers and passengers failed to obey the law and buckle up,” Rodgers said. “These deaths and injuries could be prevented or reduced by automatically buckling up a seat belt. Please protect yourself and your passengers by wearing a seat belt.”

Almost 300 people who died in traffic crashes last year in Tennessee were not wearing seat belts, reported Tennessee’s Integrated Traffic Analysis Network. This represents about 29 percent of the state’s total traffic fatalities in 2018.

NHTSA reported 10,076 unbuckled people were killed in vehicle crashes in 2017 in the U.S.

In that same year, 55 percent of passenger vehicle occupants killed at night between 6 p.m.-5:59 a.m. were not wearing their seat belts.

That’s 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 during the daytime and nighttime hours.

For more information about seat belt safety or the THSO, visit www.tntrafficsafety.org.