CLICK IT OR TICKET

(Source:  https://www.nhtsa.gov/press-releases/buckle-it-could-save-your-life).

Memorial Day and the unofficial start of summer is fast approaching, and so is the heavy traffic that comes with it. It is at this time of year that the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHSTA) along with local and state police departments in Pennsylvania and throughout the country kick off the annual Click it or Ticket campaign. The Click It or Ticket campaign is a mobilization of law enforcement agencies across the United States intended to enforce seat belt use laws. The Click It or Ticket campaign combines street level enforcement actions together with a national media blitz designed to get the word out to the motoring public about the Click It or Ticket campaign. The goal of the campaign is to increase seat belt use and decrease auto and truck accident injuries and fatalities.

According to NHTSA, there were over 10,000 unbuckled passenger vehicle occupants killed in motor vehicle crashes in the United States in 2016. In addition, according to NHTSA, nearly an additional 2,500 lives could have been saved if only occupants of vehicles (ages 5 and older) have been wearing their seat belts. The campaign this year will especially target young males 18 to 34 because they are the demographic with the highest death rate for unrestrained occupants of vehicles.

NHSTA’s website (https://www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/seat-belts) provides the public with the top five things everyone should know about buckling up, as follows:

  • Wearing a seat belt is the single most effective thing you can do to protect yourself in a crash.
  • Air bags are not a replacement for seat belts, but rather they are designed to work together with seat belt use to provide as much safety to an occupant of a car as possible.
  • Wear your seat belt correctly by checking the owner’s manual for your car or by checking the NHTSA webpage referenced above. Also, never place the shoulder belt portion of a seat belt behind your back or under your arm.
  • Make sure your seat belt fits properly and check with your car dealer if you have any questions concerns, especially before buying a new car.
  • Seat belt safety for children and pregnant women. Children should utilize age-appropriate restraints (for example, car seats, booster seats) and they should be transitioned to a regular seat belt as appropriate. For more information about children and seat belt use, please see the following NHSTA webpage: https://www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/seat-belts#young-kids. Pregnant women should wear seat belts at all times while traveling in an automobile. For the instructions and recommendations on the proper way to do so, please see the following NHSTA webpage:  https://www.nhtsa.gov/document/if-youre-pregnant-seat-belt-recommendations-drivers-and-passengers.

The lawyers at Liever, Hyman & Potter, P.C., are concerned for the safety of the motoring public in Reading, Berks County, Pottsville, Schuylkill County, and throughout Eastern and Central Pennsylvania. The injury lawyers near Philadelphia serve auto, truck and motorcycle accident victims and their families in claims and cases involving serious injury and death caused by the negligence of others. The firm also handles workers’ comp and medical malpractice cases.

From the desk of Adam K. Levin, Esquire.

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