Indiana State Police warn of Click-It-or-Ticket patrols

PUTNAMVILLE -- This month the Indiana State Police Putnamville Post will join law enforcement agencies across the nation to increase enforcement of seat belt laws in the Click-It-or-Ticket effort.

Multiple weeks of highly visible patrols will be watching for unrestrained passengers in cars and trucks. This includes both children and adults, the front seat and back, and during both day and night.

Click It or Ticket continues through the Memorial Day holiday and the start of the summer travel season. Overtime police patrols are paid with National Highway Traffic Safety Administration funds administered by the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute (ICJI).

"Why are police warning everyone before the seat belt crack down begins? Because we respond to traffic crashes and we see the preventable deaths and painful injuries from motorists not buckling up," Lt. Dan Jones, commander of the Putnamville State Police Post, said.

Indiana law requires the driver and all passengers to buckle up. Children under age eight must be properly restrained in child car seat or booster seat.

The share of Hoosiers not buckling up has dropped to 6.6 percent, below the national average of 10.4 percent, but new data from ICJI and the Indiana University Public Policy Institute show that unrestrained motorists still make up 53 percent of traffic deaths.

Unrestrained motorists are 10 times more likely to die in car and SUV crashes, 14 times more in pickup truck crashes and 15 times more likely in van crashes.

"Has this message 'clicked' for you?" asked 1st Sgt. Matt Mischler, assistant commander of the Putnamville State Police Post. "If you have a friend or a family member who does not buckle up, speak up. Ask them to change their habits. It only takes three seconds to buckle up and can save your life and the life of others in the car with you."

Drivers under age 24, especially young male drivers, are the least likely to be buckled up during a crash. Injury rates among unrestrained motorists are also higher.

During a crash, unrestrained passengers become projectiles that can injure or kill others in the car. Traffic crashes are the leading killer of children age 1-13, and adults set the example. Parents and caregivers who do not buckle up are more likely to have children who are improperly restrained.

Below are tips for proper seat-belt use. It only takes three seconds to buckle up:

-- Secure the lap belt across your hips and pelvis, below your stomach.

-- Place the shoulder belt across the middle of your chest and rib cage, away from your neck.

-- Never put the shoulder belt behind your back or under an arm.

-- If your seat belt doesn't fit you, or you have an older car with lap belts only, ask your dealer or vehicle manufacturer about seat-belt adjusters, extenders or retrofits.