Barnstable Police Awarded Grant For Seat Belt Enforcement

BARNSTABLE, MA — The Barnstable Police Department received a state grant to increase the number of patrols and remind drivers and passengers to wear a seat belt.

Barnstable police was one several Massachusetts police department to be awarded the grant from the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security's Office of Grants and Research. Barnstable police will join other local departments across the state and Massachusetts State Police in the national Click It or Ticket enforcement campaign.

Police said seat belts are most important safety item in everyone's vehicle. A spokesperson for the department said it sees firsthand "the devastating consequences of drivers and their passengers not buckling up."

"These funds will increase our traffic enforcement presence to help end these preventable tragedies," police said in a statement.

"Seat belts are the best way to protect yourself from dangerous drivers," added Kevin Stanton, Executive Director of the OGR. "You might be an excellent driver, but not everyone else is. Seat belts are your best defense against impaired, aggressive, and distracted drivers."

According to state officials, Massachusetts' seat belt use rate is consistently lower than the national average, ranking 45th in the 2019 seat belt observational study. At 81.6 percent use, more than 1.2 million Bay Staters still are not regularly buckling up. The national seat belt use rate is 90.7 percent, as of 2019.

In Massachusetts, 71 percent of pickup truck fatalities and 65 percent from SUVs involve people not wearing their seatbelt. State officials said that number is 60 percent for car fatalities.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, seat belts saved 61 Massachusetts lives in 2018.