Residents of Muncie slowed down and buckled up at the corner of New York and Neely yesterday during a Muncie Police Department seat-belt enforcement zone.
A nationwide campaign is being held May 19 to June 1 by law enforcement agencies stressing zero tolerance of violators of seat belt laws. The Click It or Ticket program came to Indiana in May 2002.
The U.S. Department of Transportation and the Indiana Department of Transportation have spent the last year working to increase seat-belt usage through advertisements and ticketing.
"Most people are aware of the new laws and are understanding when pulled over [for not wearing a seat belt]," officer Larry Robbins said.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Web site the reason for the Click It or Ticket program is to get people who aren't buckling up for safety to buckle up or get a ticket.
The Muncie Police Department sets up seat-belt enforcement zones quarterly. Usually these checks are done in high traffic areas such as the site of yesterday's checks.
The NHTSA believes the program is not about writing tickets but about saving lives.
Senior Katie Davis believes the seat-belt laws are a good way to get people to buckle up.
"People should wear their seat belts especially when carrying children," Davis said.
In 2001, 31,910 vehicle occupants were killed in crashes. Sixty percent of those were not wearing a seat belt.
Safety belts saved 13,274 lives that same year, according to the NHTSA Web site.
In Indiana seat belt usage has created a decrease in motor-vehicle accident-related deaths, according to NHTSA.
According to Jenn Cox, director of communications for Indiana's Click It or Ticket campaign, Indiana has the highest seat-belt usage rate ever for the state.
In Indiana, Cox said 72 percent of drivers are now wearing their seat belts compared with 67 percent in 2001.
Last year Indiana suffered 792 fatalities from automobile accidents. That number has gone down from the 909 fatalities in 2001, Cox said.
Tickets that officers hand out for not wearing a seat belt are $25. Officers can pull people over for not wearing a seat belt or for not having their children secured properly.
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