Stoneham Police to Participate in Statewide 'Click It or Ticket' Initiative

The is partnering with the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security's Highway Safety Division, State Police and more than 120 police departments to participate in the "Click It or Ticket" initiative, according to a press statement.

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

During the Click It or Ticket program, which runs from May 14 through June 3, thousands of extra state and regional police officers will patrol the state’s streets and highways to promote and enforce seat belt use with the ultimate goal of saving lives, according to the statement.

Many departments across the state have adopted zero-tolerance policies for seat belt violations, signaling the increasing importance of seat belt use, reads the statement. If a vehicle is pulled over, everyone inside found not wearing a seat belt will be ticketed  

In 2011, officers issued 43 citations to motorists in Stoneham, according to the statement. Last year, Stoneham police responded to 464 motor vehicle crashes, many with serious injuries, the statement added.

“Injuries caused by motor vehicle crashes cost taxpayers and businesses hundreds of millions of dollars every year,” said Stoneham Police Chief Richard Bongiorno in the statement. “We can help reduce those costs by making sure people buckle up, every trip, every time.”

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, reads the statement. 

“A lot of people shrug off the statistics because they see themselves as good drivers,” Bongiorno said in the statement, “but they forget that they can get hurt because of other reckless drivers. Your best defense is to buckle up.” 

For more information, visit the State's Highway Safety website.