State and local law enforcement agencies will work together starting Monday May 22, to implement a high-visibility Click-it-or Ticket enforcement event heading into the summer season.
This campaign will be in force leading up to the Memorial Day holiday.
“Indiana collects Crash information from every county in the state,” said Vanderburgh County Sheriff Noah Robinson. “The data clearly shows that failing to wear your seatbelt increases your risk of dying in a crash by nearly 45-percent.”
Any overtime for local, county and state police agencies will be funded by the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute (ICJI).
"We average between 3 to 5 officers who consistently work these 'blitzes,'" said EPD Sgt. Nick Winsett. "Having said that, any officer can stop vehicles with a driver or front seat passenger who is not wearing a seatbelt; it doesn’t have to be an officer working the grant."
The ICJI reports that almost 40-percent of all motor vehicle deaths are unbuckled motorists. In 2022, Indiana saw 236 unbuckled motorists lose their lives in a crash and young drivers — especially males — were least likely to be buckled.
Seat belts can reduce the risk of injury or death by 65 percent. Said Winsett, "I can say by personal experiences, people who are wearing a seatbelt fair far better than those who don’t for SBI motor vehicle accidents."
Robinson said despite the risks, 1 in 10 will not wear a seatbelt.
He said during the campaign, the VCSO will work with the Evansville Police Department. “We will be conducting seatbelt enforcement both day and night as well as raising public awareness.”
Night time enforcement is also a focus because 57-percent of passenger vehicle occupants killed at night were not wearing a seatbelt.
Still, according to the ICJI, seat belt use has improved by 30-percent since the Click-it-or-Ticket campaign began — now up to 93-percent seat belt use.