Law enforcement agencies statewide are getting ready to crack down on unsafe driving. May 15 marks the start of Georgia’s annual “Click It or Ticket” campaign and “100 Days of Summer HEAT.” Agencies will be focusing their efforts on occupant safety enforcement, watching for speeders, distracted drivers, and seat belt violators.
It’s part of a coordinated campaign through the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety aimed at saving lives.
“One of the most difficult things for law enforcement officers is investigating a traffic crash where the victim or victims likely would have survived had they been wearing a seat belt,” says Sergeant Jeremy Cooksey with the Hall County Sheriff’s Office Traffic Unit.
“One of many reasons to buckle up is your family and friends. Vehicles can be repaired or replaced, but lives cannot.”
Seatbelt use in Georgia is down
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that 1,786 people died in traffic crashes in Georgia last year. In 2021, the federal agency says more than half of the people in the state killed in passenger vehicle crashes were not wearing their seat belts.
The observed day-time seat belt use rate in Georgia dropped from 97% to 94% over the five-year period from 2017 to 2021.
HCSO is working with the @GOHSGeorgia for the national “Click It or Ticket” seat belt enforcement campaign that starts on May 15 and runs through the Memorial Day weekend. Safe driving tips, more information at https://t.co/pSf7OGRwfu pic.twitter.com/jnGt9e2p5J
— Hall County Sheriff (@HallCountySO) May 11, 2023
It’s the law
Georgia law requires all front-seat passengers in all vehicles to wear a seat belt. Children between the ages of 8 and 15 are required to wear a seat belt when riding in either the front or back seat.
And don’t forget the car seats.
Children 7 and younger must ride in a child safety seat recommended by the manufacturer based on the child’s height and weight.
According to NHTSA, wearing a seat belt in the front seat of a passenger car reduces the risk of fatal injury by 45%. In light trucks, seat belts reduce the risk by 60%.
“Mistakes happen on the road every day, and the goal is for everyone to be able to walk away when a mistake behind the wheel leads to a crash,” says Governor’s Office of Highway Safety Director Allen Poole.
The Click It or Ticket campaign runs through Memorial Day. 100 Days of Summer Heat will continue through Labor Day.
