Barksdale joins national 'Click it or Ticket'

  • Published
  • By 2nd Security Forces Squadron
  • 2nd Security Forces Squadron
BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. --  The 2nd Security Forces Squadron will join local and national law enforcement officers and highway safety advocates for the 2011 national Click It or Ticket seat-belt enforcement mobilization May 23 - June 5.

During the mobilization, officers will be cracking down on motorists who fail to wear their seat belts - both day and night.

"Local motorists should be prepared to buckle up," said Christopher L. Bowman, 2 SFS plans and programs chief. "If law enforcement finds you on the road unbuckled anytime or anywhere, you can expect to get a ticket -- not a warning. No excuses and no exceptions."

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. Of those who died in nighttime crashes in 2009, nearly two-thirds were not wearing seat belts at the time of their fatal crashes.

In 2009, 11,593 passenger vehicle occupants died in motor vehicle crashes nationwide between the hours of 6 p.m. and 5:59 a.m., according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

In Louisiana, there were 631 vehicle fatalities in 2010. Of those, 196 victims were not wearing their seatbelts. In Caddo and Bossier Parrishs there were 48 fatal accidents. Eleven individuals lost their life by not buckling up.

In efforts to decrease traffic deaths, 2 SFS has teamed up with 2nd Bomb Wing Safety office. The 2 BW safety office will be out in full force to remind drivers and occupants to always wear their seat belts - both day and night.

"There are still people out there who feel that wearing a seatbelt is a waste of time or it doesn't save lives," said Master Sgt. Shuntesia Dupree, 2 BW Safety office superintendent. "They know they must wear their seatbelt while on base but as soon as they leave the gate, they take them off. Hopefully this campaign will deter them from making that mistake."

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.

"This year we are going to do our part...here on Barksdale," said Mr. Bowman. "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."