More than 500 local law enforcement agencies and the Georgia State Patrol will participate in this year’s Click It Or Ticket Thanksgiving safety belt enforcement campaign which started Monday and runs through Nov. 28, according to state officials.
Georgia’s primary safety belt law authorizes traffic enforcement officers to write seat belt tickets whenever they observe drivers or passengers who are unbelted, and a new state law requires pickup truck occupants to buckle up, too, a news release stated.
“Regular seat belt use is the single most effective way to protect motorists and reduce fatalities in vehicle crashes,” said Bob Dallas, director of the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety.
“There were 213 fewer lives lost in highway crashes here in 2009 than during the previous year,” he added. “However, we must continue to remind drivers and passengers about the importance of safety belt use because hundreds of other Georgians will not be gathering with their families during the holidays this year due to their choice not to use their seat belts.”
More than half the Georgians killed in car crashes in 2008 weren’t wearing safety belts, according to the news release.
During last year’s 102-hour Thanksgiving travel period the Georgia State Patrol reported 3,089 crashes, 730 injuries and 12 fatalities.