Lt. Scott Stevenson
The Waterbury Police Department announced that it issued 246 infractions during the recent Click It or Ticket seat belt enforcement mobilization. The majority of these tickets were for driver’s and front seat passengers failing to wear seat belts, but also included citations for drivers failing to properly restrain their child passengers in an appropriate restraint system (I.E. infant carrier, child car seat or booster seat). The Waterbury Police Department joined forces with NHTSA and other state & local law enforcement agencies in support of this Click It Or Ticket mobilization, which featured high visibility and aggressive enforcement of CT seat safety belt laws.
Waterbury Police Lieutenant Scott Stevenson reminds that when worn correctly, seat belts reduce the risk of fatal injury by at least 50%. Yet nationally in 2010, 22,187 vehicle occupants were killed in crashes and 51% of them weren’t wearing seat belts at the time of their fatal crashes. And younger motorists are particularly at risk, as data indicates that in 2010, in fatal crashes involving those aged 18-34, 62% of them were not buckled up at the time of the crash, the highest percentage of any age group. “The Waterbury Police Department is hopeful that the Click It or Ticket campaigns serve as a reminder to buckle up, as seat belts do save lives,” said Stevenson.