Wednesday, May 14, 2008; Posted: 5:20 p.m. (CDT)
Oklahoma City -- Most of us have heard the phrase, 'Click It or Ticket,' and this year is no different. Law enforcement officers statewide kicked off the 2008 Click It or Ticket seat belt awareness campaign Wednesday. KSBI-TV's Kealey McIntire has more.
It's a law that can save your life, but not everyone buckles up. Law enforcement officers statewide are on the lookout for violators during the Click It or Ticket campaign.
We rode along with Highway Patrol Officer Lt. George Brown and we found a violator within minutes.
The violator tells Lt. Brown he usually wears a seat belt and that he forgot to wear his Wednesday.
"I just got off work and I just jumped into the car and I was heading to the house and I wasn't thinking," says Terry, who wasn't wearing his seat belt.
Not wearing a seat belt contributes to more fatalities than any other traffic related incident. In 2006, 758 Oklahomans died due to not wearing a seat belt.
Officers enforce Click It or Ticket every year just before the summer driving season.
"If you're going to be out on the highway, whether it's a short trip or a long trip, be sure to put that seat belt on every trip every time," says Captain Paul Timmons, with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.
Timmons says numbers indicate their message works. Since wearing seat belts became law in the 1980's, usage has increased nearly 60 percent. Oklahoma has a nearly 84 percent compliance rate.
Everyday, people like Terry don't comply.
"I made a mistake and should've had my seat belt on," says Terry.
Officers have a zero tolerance policy, so Terry gets a ticket to remind him to click it or ticket.
Officers will really step up enforcement starting Monday, May 19, through June 1. A seat belt violation will cost you $20.
