CHRISTIANSBURG, Va. – May kicks off the national Click It or Ticket campaign, and police officers want to remind you putting your seatbelt on every time you are in a car could save your life if you’re in an accident.
“Probably the worst part of this job is notifying a family that a loved one has been killed in a motor vehicle crash and [it] potentially could’ve been eliminated had they been wearing a safety belt,” said Lieutenant Mark Hollandsworth with the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office.
As you’re driving around throughout May, you may notice more police on patrol.
“Whether it is county roads, interstate highways, whatever it is, they will see in an increase in the amount of folks that are out their enforcing the seatbelt Click it or ticket laws,” Hollandsworth said.
In Virginia, you cannot get pulled over for not having your seatbelt on alone, but they said you can still get a ticket for not having your seatbelt on.
“That officer can make the stop based off the speeding infraction, and in lieu of possibly giving that speeding violation, they can say, ‘I am going to write you for this seatbelt because that could save your life just as much as the speeding ticket could,’” Hollandsworth said.
He said the numbers can be shocking. He said a majority of fatal accidents happen within 25 miles of someone’s home, and are below 40 miles per hour.
“Increasing the likelihood of survival depends upon that safety belt,” Hollandsworth said.
He also said if you aren’t wearing it, being ejected from a car can be catastrophic.
“Whether you are in the front seat or the back seat, if you’re not belted, the chances of being out of that vehicle in a crash are very high,” Hollandsworth said.
He said if you are ejected from a vehicle, your chances of being killed go up a staggering 75 percent.
Police said it’s important that parents set a good example on how to properly wear a seatbelt for their children.