During the Thanksgiving holiday the Harrisonburg Police Department is teaming up with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on a high-visibility Click It or Ticket enforcement campaign.
The campaign will run Nov. 25-Dec. 6 to work toward reducing the number of fatalities that occur when drivers and passengers fail to buckle up. If an officer stops you and you’re not wearing your seatbelt, they will issue you a ticket.
During the 2017 Thanksgiving weekend (6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 22, to 5:59 a.m. Monday, Nov. 27), 365 people were killed in motor vehicle crashes nationwide. Nighttime proved even more deadly, with 57 percent of Thanksgiving weekend crashes occurring at night.
Wearing a seat belt is the single most effective thing anyone can do to prevent injury or death in a vehicle crash. The Click It or Ticket campaign combines powerful messages about seat belt safety with increased patrolling to watch for unbuckled motorists.
“Our law enforcement personnel see the effects of unbuckled driving every day, and it’s a tragic, preventable loss of life and cause of injury,” said Corporal Wayne Westfall with the Harrisonburg Police Department. “Whether you’re driving cross-country or across the street, you must wear your seat belt. The bottom line is this: That seat belt may very well mean the difference between life and death. This Thanksgiving, and every day of the year, remember: Click It or Ticket.”
In Virginia, the law requires all passengers in the front seat to wear a seat belt and also applies to passengers under the age of 18 riding in the back seat. Violations are punishable by written citation.
For more information about traveling safely this Thanksgiving, visit www.trafficsafetymarketing.gov/get-materials/seat-belts/click-it-or-ticket/thanksgiving-weekend
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