2007 THANKSGIVING PLANNER
“CLICK IT OR TICKET”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 21, 2007
CONTACT: Sgt. Thomas Piatek, 215-256-9500,
Lower Salford Township Launches Seat Belt
Enforcement Blitz During Thanksgiving
Police Step Up “Click It or Ticket” Campaign for the Holiday
Lower Salford Township – Police and government officials have announced a special crackdown this Thanksgiving for people who refuse to buckle their seat belts during the holiday.
The “Click It or Ticket” enforcement during the Thanksgiving holiday season begins November 19 – 25, 2007, said Sgt. Piatek of the Lower Salford Township Police Department. “If you are using your vehicle this Thanksgiving, whether it’s a short trip to the grocery store, or a long-haul across the state, if you aren’t buckled up, you will get a ticket,” said Piatek. “Of course you should buckle up every trip, every time throughout the year, but this Thanksgiving you risk not only your life, but getting a ticket if you and your passengers aren’t buckled up.”
According to the latest data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 31,415 passenger vehicle occupants died in crashes across the nation in 2005, and more than half of them, 16,172, were not wearing seat belts. During the 2005 Thanksgiving holiday season, 376 people died in passenger vehicle crashes during the daytime hours of 6:00 a.m. to 5:59 p.m. and nearly the same amount, 347 people, died at night.
The risk of a fatal crash increases at night. According to NHTSA statistics, of the 347 night-time fatalities occurring during the 2005 Thanksgiving holiday season, 59 percent (205) died with their seat belts unfastened; while 42 percent (159) of those killed in daytime fatalities were not wearing seat belts.
“Wearing a seat belt costs you nothing, and may save your life or protect you from a serious, possibly life-altering injury. Not wearing a seat belt, especially during this Thanksgiving period, will definitely cost you a ticket at the very least, and maybe even your life”, said Piatek.
Regular seat belt use is the single most effective way to protect people and reduce fatalities in motor vehicle crashes. Research has shown that when lap/shoulder belts are used properly, the risk of fatal injury to front seat passenger car occupants is reduced by 45 percent, and the risk of moderate-to-critical injury is reduced by 50 percent.
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Of particular concern to Piatek was the number of fatalities in pickup trucks where seat belts were not used. Nationally in 2005, 6,038 occupants of pickup trucks were killed in vehicle crashes, and 65 percent (3,896) were unrestrained at the time of the crash. During the 2005 Thanksgiving season, 121 pickup truck drivers and passengers were killed in crashes nationwide, and 64 percent weren’t wearing seat belts.
“Young drivers and passengers in pickup trucks sometimes have an inclination for risky driving behavior. Maybe they think the vehicle’s size and weight will protect them in a crash, but they’re wrong”, said Piatek. “Police will be on the lookout for people not wearing seat belts this Thanksgiving, including young drivers and passengers.”
For more information about the “Click It or Ticket” campaign for highway safety during the Thanksgiving holiday season, visit
End of Release