SAFETY AWARENESS

Mount Pleasant police officers will be out reminding drivers about the lifesaving benefits of wearing a seat belt during the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) national Click It or Ticket high-visibility enforcement effort.  The national seat belt campaign, which coincides with the Memorial Day holiday, runs from May 24 to June 6, 2021.

Your seat belt is designed to prevent injuries during a crash, such as being thrown into the dashboard or windshield.  Airbags are designed to save your life, but without a seat belt they can be made ineffective. Wearing a seat belt increases your chance of surviving a motor vehicle crash by 45%.  If you are in a pickup truck, the risk is reduced by 60%.

In 2020, 3,893 people were killed in Texas in automobile crashes. There were 2,734 crashes that involved unrestrained occupants which resulted in fatality or serious injuries.  Texas averages 8 fatalities per day on roadways and has not had a day without a roadway fatality since November 7, 2000 (#EndTheStreak).

If you know a friend or family member who does not buckle up when they are in a car, please ask them to change their habits.  We are doing extra enforcement during this time to remind people to buckle up and arrive safely.  If we save one life, or life-changing injury, I feel like we will have been successful.

For more information on the Click It or Ticket campaign, please visit www.texasclickitorticket.com or www.nhtsa.gov/ciot.