Needham Police Help Launch 'Click It or Ticket'

Submitted by the Needham Police Department

In a continuing effort to save lives, the , in partnership with the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security’s Highway Safety Division, the Massachusetts State Police and more than 120 other local departments, is launching a high-visibility seat belt enforcement mobilization called Click It or Ticket.

The message is simple: Massachusetts drivers and passengers should always wear their seat belts or be prepared to face the consequences. 

During the “Click It or Ticket” mobilization, which runs from May 14 through June 3, thousands of extra state and local police will patrol the state’s streets and highways in a concerted effort to promote and enforce seat belt use with the ultimate goal of saving lives.

"We have been actively involved in the initiative since the EOPSS first made the funding available," Needham Police Lt. Chris Baker said of the "Click It or Ticket" program. "We have seen the overall observed safety belt use increase year to year while conducting these highly visible traffic enforcement patrols. People that live, work and commute though this town are definitely getting the message that seat belts save lives."

Many departments across the state have adopted zero-tolerance policies for seat belt violations signaling the increasing importance of seat belt use. In fact, if pulled over, everyone in the car found not wearing a seat belt will be ticketed.

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, based on known usage, 49 percent of the people killed in passenger motor vehicle crashes in Massachusetts during 2010 were not wearing their seat belts at the time of the crash.

For more information, visit www.mass.gov/highwaysafety.