Click It or Ticket Campaign to Begin

STATEWIDE – The final blitz period of this year for the West Virginia statewide Click It or Ticket campaign is scheduled to begin on Friday, May 13 and end on Sunday, June 5, 2005.

Currently, West Virginia’s seat belt usage rate is 76%; however, West Virginia is attempting to reach the goal of 85%.

Last year, approximately 400 people were killed in fatal motor vehicle crashes in the state of West Virginia. Of those 400, 268 were unrestrained and 149 of those were ejected from the vehicle. Statistics show that of the 268 unrestrained fatalities, 182 (60%) could have been saved had a restraint device been used.

In comparison, 400 people lost their lives on the state’s highways last year, yet there were 57 people statewide who were killed as a result of a violent act, such as murder. Much more emphasis is placed on the criminal act of murder and its effects when, in fact, 343 more people died last year as the result of vehicle crashes.

In order to reduce fatalities and reach the 85% seat belt usage rate goal, the West Virginia State Police, with the assistance of the West Virginia Governor’s Highway Safety Program, will be increasing patrols and visibility in an effort to enforce seat belt usage and other hazardous moving violations. The West Virginia Governor’s Highway Safety Program is providing the State Police with grant money for extra overtime patrols around the state.

West Virginia law states a person may not operate a passenger vehicle on a public street or highway of this state unless the person, any passenger in the back seat under eighteen years of age, and any passenger in the front seat of such passenger vehicle is restrained by a safety belt meeting applicable federal motor vehicle safety standards. The law also states that any child under the age of four and/or forty pounds must be placed, maintained and secured in a child passenger safety device system meeting applicable federal motor vehicle safety standards.

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