Motorists can expect to see law enforcement officers in Alachua County cracking down on seat belt violations as the National Highway Safety Administration kicks off its nationwide Click It or Ticket campaign this month.
The campaign, which began on Tuesday and is scheduled to go until June 5, is a law enforcement initiative to increase seat belt usage, raise awareness and save lives.
For front-seat seat belt violations, operators or passengers can be cited with a $104 ticket, while overlooking child safety belt laws can earn a driver a $154 ticket.
Cpl. Tscharna Senn, public information officer for Gainesville Police Department, said the Click It or Ticket campaign has been effective in increasing seat belt usage in Alachua County in the past.
"Issuing these citations has curbed safety belt violations," Senn said. "It's been proven to work, and that's why we do it."
UPD officer David Watson said officers have heard nearly every excuse for not wearing seat belts.
"People say they're uncomfortable, they were in a hurry or they forgot to put it on, but that doesn't stop us from enforcing the law," he said.
Watson added that people must understand seat belt violations aren't only for the driver, but also for those in the passenger seat.
Those over the age of 18 and sitting in the back seat are not required by law to wear a seat belt. Watson said.
"But I must say, it will save your life," he said
According to statistics from a press release by GPD, 77 percent of those who were thrown from a vehicle during car crashes were killed, whereas only 1 percent of those wearing a seat belt during a crash were totally ejected from their vehicle.
UPD officers are hoping this year's Click It or Ticket initiative will prove as effective as previous years.
UPD officer William Sasser said seat belt usage percentages are already high in Alachua County and the Click It or Ticket initiative should only boost seat belt usage.
"Pre-surveys showed that seat belt usage was 89 percent, so we're hoping post-surveys will show that enforcement pushed the percentages well into the 90s," he said.
, To determine seat belt usage percentages during the campaign pre-surveys, UPD officers log seat belt usage for 100 drivers in Gainesville.
After the data is collected for the Click It or Ticket campaign, all information is sent to the Department of Transportation.
Sasser said the Click It or Ticket campaign is widely known across campus.
Many people, he said, already know to wear their safety belts.
"The word is out, and it seems as if everyone is wearing their seat belt, but that's what we prefer," he said. "We don't want to have to stop anyone if we don't have to."
