LAS VEGAS - Lake Mead National Recreation Area will join local and national law enforcement officers and highway safety advocates all across the country for the 2011 national Click It or Ticket seat belt enforcement mobilization, May 23-June 5.
"Within the park both federal and state traffic laws apply. Under federal law, not wearing a seat belt is a primary offense, meaning we can stop any motorist if we observe them without their seat belt buckled," said Deputy Chief Ranger Adam Kelsey.
Over the two-week period, which starts Monday, Lake Mead National Recreation Area park rangers will be on the lookout for motorists who fail to wear their seat belts, both day and night.
"We want the word to get out. Hopefully we don’t have to stop anyone during this zero-tolerance Click It or Ticket enforcement mobilization," said Kelsey. "We just want our visitors to buckle up and have a nice visit."
According to Kelsey, a large number of vehicle accidents happen during evening and nighttime hours. Because nighttime passenger vehicle occupants are among those least likely to buckle up and most likely to die in crashes when unrestrained, nighttime enforcement has become a priority of the Click It or Ticket mobilization. Nationwide, of those who died in nighttime crashes in 2009, nearly two-thirds (62 percent) were not wearing seat belts at the time of their fatal crashes.
Last year, park rangers responded to 189 motor vehicle accidents. Of those five were fatal accidents.
High-visibility enforcement such as the Click It or Ticket mobilization is credited with increasing the national belt usage rate from 58 percent in 1994 to an observed usage rate of 85 percent in 2010. Belt use saves thousands of lives each year across America. In 2009 alone, seat belts saved 12,713 lives nationwide.
Remember this May 23 to June 5: It’s Click It or Ticket. Buckle up and encourage your loved ones to do the same. You’ll save the cost of a ticket and may even save a life.
- NPS -
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
