Tennessee Launches Statewide Highway Safety Mobilization
Law Enforcement to Increase Safety Belt Enforcement

Nashville, Tennessee - From May 10 to June 6, law enforcement officers across Tennessee will increase enforcement of the State’s safety belt laws as part of the nationwide Click It or Ticket Mobilization. Those who fail to adhere to all safety belt laws will be issued a ticket.

The goal of the effort, which will put a special emphasis on teens and young adults, is to boost the state’s 69% safety belt use rate and reduce fatalities. Safety belt use is especially important for teens and young adults. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for people age 15 to 34 in the United States. Even though most people buckle up, the majority of motor vehicle occupants killed in crashes last year were not restrained.

Safety belt use saves lives and prevents injuries. Each percentage point increase in use saves about 270 additional lives across the nation. It is estimated that safety belts save the lives of more than 14,000 motorists each year and save about $50 billion in medical care, lost productivity and other injury related costs nationwide.

“Everyone on Tennessee roadways is reminded to adhere to all safety belt laws – every trip, every time – unless you want to risk a ticket, or worse, your life,” stated Chuck Taylor, Director, Governor’s Highway Safety Office. “Issuing tickets isn’t fun, but it’s better than pulling bodies from crashes. Tennessee law enforcement will be showing zero tolerance for anyone violating safety belt laws as a way to protect everyone from losing their lives in a crash.”

In Tennessee:

• A driver can be pulled over and ticketed if children under the age of 4 are not properly seated in a child passenger restraint system meeting federal motor safety standards.
• A driver can be pulled over and ticketed if children 4 through 15 years of age are not restrained in an age appropriate safety device.
• Drivers16 and 17 years of age can be pulled over and ticketed for not wearing a safety belt.
• Drivers pulled over for a primary traffic stop can be ticketed as a secondary offense for not wearing a safety belt.

For the past several years, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has helped many states implement the Click It or Ticket program, aiding law enforcement agencies in conducting intensive, high-publicity Click It or Ticket campaigns with increased enforcement of safety belt law. These efforts — coupled with paid advertising and the support of government agencies, community organizations and others — work to create dramatic increases in safety belt use and help defend us against one of the greatest threats to us all: traffic crashes.

The Click It or Ticket efforts work. Research shows the Mobilization campaign to be a key factor in raising safety belt use rates. In 2003, more states ran campaigns than ever before and use rates indicate that the increased effort to get the public to buckle up was a success – there was an unprecedented 4-point jump in safety belt use nationwide, from 75% in 2002 to 79% in 2003. Tennessee’s safety belt usage rate increased from 67% in 2002 to 69% in 2003.

“High visibility enforcement saves lives,” said Taylor. “Our goal is make sure everyone on the road, whether passenger or driver, knows they are more at risk, not just of getting a ticket, but for suffering a serious injury or death, if they don’t buckle up.”