The Waupaca County Sheriff’s Department will intensify its enforcement of Wisconsin’s mandatory safety belt law during the annual Click it or Ticket mobilization from May 21 through June 3,
Approximately 400 law enforcement agencies throughout the state are expected to participate, in this year’s Click It or Ticket mobilization, according to Capt. Terry Willz.
“Traffic deaths in Wisconsin so far this year have increased compared with the same time last year. And in all too many recent fatal crashes, the drivers and passengers were ejected from their vehicle because they were not buckled up. That’s why we’re serious about safety belt enforcement.” Wilz said. “To save lives and prevent injuries, our officers will slop a a vehicle and issue tickets whenever they see an unbuckled driver or passenger. Our goal during Click It or Tickel and throughout the year is not to write more tickets. Through enforcement and education, we’re trying to convince everyone to buckle up voluntarily so that eventually we can reduce the number of preventable traffic deaths to zero in Wisconsin. But if voluntary compliance fails and people ignore the law as well as common sense. we will provide a very convincing reminder about wearing their safety bells.”
Law enforcement agencies throughout the state are cracking down on unbelted motorists, Last year, there were nearly 85,000 in Wisconsin for failure to wear a seatbelt, according to the Department of Transportation. Seatbelt citations are second only to speeding tickets among traffic violations.
“If you want to avoid the delay and hassle of being stopped and ticketed by an officer, you must buckle up every trip, every time, Even more important, consistent safety belt use will protect you from being ejected from a vehicle during a crash or thrown around violently inside it and possibly hitting another person in the vehicle with massive force, There really is no rational reason to not buckle up,” Wilz said.