Click It or Ticket Nets 5,851 Occupant Protection Charges in
First Week
RALEIGH, N.C., Sept. 5 As federal highway safety advocates
announced that the spring "Click It or Ticket" campaign helped boost the
national seat belt use rate to its highest level ever, law enforcement
officers across the state ticketed 5,851 drivers and passengers for failure to
use seat belts and/or child safety seats during the first week of the fall
"Click It or Ticket" campaign.
From Aug. 27 to Sept. 2, officers conducted 1,313 law enforcement
activities in support of "Click It or Ticket," which was launched with a
statewide kickoff event in Durham. Dr. Jeff Runge of Charlotte, the new
administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, was the
keynote speaker.
On Aug. 30, Runge announced that the national seat belt use rate increased
from 71 percent to 73 percent, the highest level since the federal government
initiated regular surveys in 1994. Gains were particularly notable in the
South, where the rate increased from 69 percent to 76 percent following last
spring's regional "Click It or Ticket" campaign. Eight southeastern states
followed the North Carolina enforcement model, and all increased their belt
use. North Carolina's rate for drivers is 83.6 percent, one of the highest in
the nation.
Current citation data was reported by law enforcement agencies in each
county and compiled by the North Carolina State Highway Patrol. During the
first week of the current campaign, officers wrote 5,394 seat belt tickets and
457 child passenger safety violations. Counties with the highest number of
seat belt citations include Wake with 484, Surry with 334, and Union with 228.
Besides cracking down on seat belt and child passenger safety violators,
officers across the state last week charged 941 motorists with driving while
impaired (DWI). They discovered a total of 25,302 violations, including
237 drug charges, nine stolen vehicles, and five fugitives from justice. The
campaign continues through Sept. 16.
Statewide Totals
DWI Occupant Restraint Traffic Violations
Driving Child
Total While Seat Passenger Total
Checkpoints Impaired Belt Safety Traffic
and Patrols Violations Violations Violations Speeding Violations
1,313 941 5,394 457 8,334 24,644
Criminal Violations
Other
Stolen Criminal
Drug Firearm Vehicles Fugitives Violations
Violations Violations Recovered Arrested Not Listed
237 12 9 5 409
Total
Total Traffic &
Criminal Criminal
Violations Violations
658 25,302
For county-by-county "Click It or Ticket" numbers -- or information regarding
other North Carolina highway safety issues -- contact Jill Warren Lucas at the
GHSP, 919-733-3083, or visit our Web site at:
http://www.dot.state.nc.us/services/ghsp.