'Click it or Ticket' Campaign to Prompt Countywide Patrols

Five traffic fatalities in the first five months of 2011—in which four of the five who were killed were not wearing seatbelts—have added urgency to this year’s “Click It or Ticket” seat belt enforcement campaign, according to Police Chief Charlie T. Deane.

“More than ever, we need to continue to make the case that seat belts really do work,” he said. “We will do that by hitting the roads and enforcing all traffic laws 24/7, no excuses, no warnings, and we will be paying particular attention to seat belt use.”

Prince William County Police will join law enforcement agencies throughout Virginia in the “Click It or Ticket” campaign to enforce the Commonwealth’s safety belt and child safety seat laws. The department will participate in high-visibility patrols—day and night—from Sunday, May 22, through Monday, June 6.

Seat belts are mandatory in Virginia for all people riding in the front seat. Virginia car seat laws also state that:

•  All children under the age of 8 must ride in a secured safety seat that’s federally approved.
• Children between 8 and 15 must use a safety seat, booster seat, or seat belt no matter where in the vehicle the child is riding.
• It is the driver’s responsibility to make sure all children age 15 and under are properly secured.

Virginia law allows police to cite anyone driving a car in which an occupant under age 16 is not wearing a safety belt, or is not properly secured in a child safety seat. It also provides that drivers stopped for other violations can be cited if they are not properly restrained.

Virginia has seen steady decline in traffic related fatalities. However preliminary data from 2010—the latest available—indicates that there were 740 fatalities throughout the state. Of those, 314 were not restrained at the time of the crash.

Prince William County had a total of 22 fatalities in 2010. Five of the 22 victims were not restrained at the time of the crash.

“Click It or Ticket” is one of several programs under the Smart, Safe and Sober partnership. Smart, Safe and Sober is a statewide program dedicated to preventing death and injury on Virginia roadways. It is a joint partnership of the Prince William County Police, the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police, the Virginia Department of State Police, the Virginia Sheriffs’ Association, DRIVE SMART Virginia, and the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles.

Unless you want to risk a ticket, or worse, you need to always remember to “Click It or Ticket” day and night.