Framingham, Click Those Seatbelts

The Framingham Police Department is joining others across the state and nation in encouraging and enforcing seatbelt laws this month.

Framingham PD will get it on the Click It or Ticket campaign between May 8 - May 29 in an effort to reduce motor vehicle injuries and deaths.

“More people buckling up means more lives saved,” said police spokesperson Lt. Patricia Grigas. “Our officers will be out enforcing the seat belt and child passenger safety laws so that fewer people are needlessly injured or killed in crashes in Framingham.”

According to Framingham PD:

• Massachusetts seat belt usage is significantly lower than the national average – 78 percent compared to 90 percent, according to the state’s annual seat belt observation study.
• Sixty-four percent of the 172 people killed in motor vehicle crashes on Massachusetts roads in 2015 were known to be unrestrained, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
• Seatbelts saved an estimated 72 lives in Massachusetts in 2015, according to NHTSA, and an additional 41 deaths could have been prevented if seatbelt usage was at 100%.

“The simple act of buckling up will give you a fighting chance in the event of a crash – increasing your chances of surviving by at least fifty percent,” said Jeff Larason, Director of the Highway Safety Division. “We’re asking all drivers to protect themselves by wearing a seatbelt on every trip – short or long, day and night – and to keep their eyes on the road.”