Driving in Concord? Better Buckle Up

CONCORD, MA—Drivers in Concord will want to ensure that they are buckled up before putting the key in the ignition, as police are ramping up traffic enforcement this month.

The Concord Police Department has announced that it will be taking part in the national Click It or Ticket campaign, joining over 200 Massachusetts Police Department along with the the Highway Safety Division of the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security. The goal of the campaign is to promote seat belt use through increased traffic enforcement, and is funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

“We are committed to this year's Click It or Ticket campaign,” Chief Joseph O'Connor said in a statement. “As the weather continues to improve, more people will be on the roads and we know that seat belts do in fact save lives."

Police also reported that the seatbelt usage rate in Massachusetts is 74 percent, falling below the national average of 88.5 percent and decreased by three percent between 2014 and 2015.

The NHTSA indicates that nearly half of the 21,022 of the passengers killed in motor vehicle crashes across the country were unrestrained.

“While these may just sound like statistics, local police know from personal experience that those numbers represent mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, and friends in Concord,” Jeff Larason, Director of the Highway Safety Division, said in a statement. “If we increase our seat belt usage rate, we save lives, and that’s why the police are out enforcing this important law.”