You’ve seen the warnings. They flood the news feeds on your social media and beyond, “The Click it or Ticket” campaign is underway. Meaning, from May 15th through June 4th, agencies across the country are stepping up enforcement on those motorists not wearing their seat belts.
And while they have been proven to save lives, there are still some who choose not to wear seat belts.
Most people know the risks.
When you’re not wearing your seat belt, you’re risking serious injury or death every time you get behind the wheel or in the passenger seat of a car.
Most people know the facts.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 13,941 lives were saved in 2015 by the belt. Of the 35,092 people killed in motor vehicle crashes in 2015, 48 percent were not wearing seat belts. In the same year, nearly half of passenger vehicle occupants who died in crashes were unrestrained.
So, why then, do nearly 27.5 million Americans still not buckle up? Maybe, it’s the way law enforcement agencies convey the message.
Every year, the public information office at the Walton County Sheriff’s Office receives the dreaded email, Subject: The Click or Ticket campaign will begin [insert date here]. And every year, when the announcement is published to our social media accounts, the negative comments come pouring in.
“I find it funny that we enforce seatbelt laws, but helmets are optional,” one person wrote.
The Click it or Ticket Campaign is a valuable opportunity for the law enforcement community to talk to the people they serve, rather than at them. So many times we use the “it’s the law” way to direct people into compliance. When in reality, that approach doesn’t work for everyone. Frankly, it rubs people the wrong way. Kind of like seat belts sometimes do. We’re guilty of it too, no pun intended.
So, at the Walton County Sheriff’s Office we’re trying a Lead by Example approach. We’re buckling up to spread the word and showing our community how we are taking the initiative. And by doing so, we hope to get others involved.
Throughout the campaign we Tweet and even post photos to Instagram of our deputies buckling up. Our SnapChat has featured funny versions of deputies trying to buckle up even with their pesky duty belt. Some of them even talk about why they choose to “Click it”.
In turn, our fire department and even reporters who work our beat have gotten in on the practice.
We are not above the law even though we enforce it. A message we think is important for people to know.
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