If there is one thing I could urge all motorists, drivers, passengers, front seat, back seat, all ages, to do every time you get in a vehicle, it’s buckle up. It is the single most effective way to avoid being killed in a crash. Would you ever ride a roller coaster without the harness down? When you ride in a motor vehicle without a seat belt, you are taking a huge risk. One you can’t afford. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2013, there were 9,580 unbelted vehicle occupants killed in crashes on our nation’s roads.
Chief of Police John C Garbedian announced that May 18 to 31, the Great Neck Estates Police Department is joining NHTSA and law enforcement agencies nationwide for the 2015 Click It or Ticket enforcement mobilization. Police will be out in full force, cracking down on seat belt violations, issuing citations to anyone caught traveling without a buckled seat belt or transporting unrestrained children. Police are determined to get the message across: Seat belts save lives. In fact, from 2008 to 2012, they saved nearly 63,000 lives.
Next time you head out on the road, make sure you and everyone in your vehicle is buckled up. Don’t just do it to avoid a ticket, do it so you arrive at your destination safely. Consider yourself warned: If police catch you not wearing your seat belt on the road, you will get a ticket. No excuses, no warnings. We’re hoping you will get the message and buckle up every trip, every time, even after the crackdown period is over. Wearing your seat belt is required by law 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
So please remember, day and night, Click It or Ticket. You can find out more about the Click It or Ticket mobilization at www.nhtsa.gov/ciot.
From Chief John C. Garbedian, Great Neck Estates Police Department
