Click-It or Ticket Enforcement, March 23rd to March 29, 2016
Colonel Steven G. O’Donnell, Superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police and Commissioner of the Rhode Island Department of Public Safety, announces that through funding obtained by the Department of Transportation Office on Highway Safety and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Rhode Island State Police will be joining with state and local law enforcement agencies by participating in the “Click it or Ticket” nationwide enforcement campaign.
Starting on Wednesday March 23rd and continuing through and including Tuesday, March 29th, drivers can expect an increased presence of troopers on all roadways. Research has found that when used, lap/shoulder seat belts reduce the risk of fatal injury to front-seat passenger car occupants by 45 percent and the risk of moderate-to- critical injury by 50 percent. This year the number of fatalities resulting from motor vehicle accidents in Rhode Island has increased over the same period last year. Since seat belt use enhances a person’s chance of surviving a potentially fatal crash, promoting the use of seat belts at all times by passenger vehicle occupants is one of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s primary goals. This year the number of fatal accidents have increased over the same period last year.
The aim of Click it or Ticket is simple: To drastically reduce the number of preventable deaths and injuries that occur when unbelted drivers and passengers are involved in traffic crashes. When a person doesn’t buckle up, or require their passengers to buckle up, they are putting themselves and their passengers at risk. When a motor vehicle crash happens, it is usually within five (5) miles from home and the four (4) seconds it takes to buckle up will be time well spent. All drivers should be reminded that it’s not only about their driving skills, but also about the skills, habits and circumstances of the other drivers sharing the road with you.
The Rhode Island State Police is committed to aggressively ticket violators of seat belt and child restraint laws, and all other traffic violations – such as speeding, distracted driving and reckless driving that make our streets and highways unsafe.
Hazardous road conditions and unsafe drivers may be reported by dialing 9-1-1 from any telephone.
