Community Corner

Sheriff Department Joins 'Click It or Ticket' Enforcement for Memorial Day

McHenry County Sheriff's Department joins several local police departments in Memorial Day Holiday seat belt enforcement.

 

The McHenry County Sherriff's Office is joining over 500 local law enforcement agencies across the state in the 2013 Click It or Ticket campaign for the Memorial Day holiday.

The seat belt enforcement effort, coordinated by the Illinois Department of Transportation, aims to save lives by strongly enforcing seat belt laws before and during the Memorial Day holiday weekend.

Find out what's happening in Crystal Lake-Carywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“As we kick off the busy summer driving season it’s important for everyone to buckle up every trip, every time, day or night – no excuses,” said McHenry County Undersheriff Andrew Zinke.

“Our officers are prepared to ticket anyone who is not wearing a seat belt.”

Find out what's happening in Crystal Lake-Carywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Provisional numbers show that during the 2012 Memorial Day weekend there were six fatalities and almost 600 injuries on Illinois roadways, according to a Sheriff's Office release.

Three of those fatalities were alcohol-related.  

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 52 percent of the 21,253 passenger vehicle occupants killed in 2011 were not wearing their seat belts at the time of the crash, according to the Sheriff's office.

Deaths involving seat belt nonuse are more prevalent at night than during the daytime. According to NHTSA, 62 percent of the 10,135 passenger vehicle occupants killed in 2011 during the overnight hours of 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. were not wearing their seat belts at the time of the crash, the release stated.

“Seat belts save thousands of lives every year, but far too many motorists still are not buckling up, especially at night when the risk of getting in a crash is even greater,”  Zinke said. “Our goal is to save more lives; the Sheriff’s Office will be out enforcing seat belt laws around the clock.”

In 2011, seat belts saved an estimated 11,949 lives nationwide according to NHTSA.

While this year’s Click It or Ticket enforcement campaign runs from May 10 through May 27, officers are out enforcing seat belt laws year-round. Buckle up and encourage your loved ones to do the same. You will save the cost of a ticket and may save a life.

For more information about the Click It or Ticket campaign, please visit www.buckleupillinois.org.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here