Following the success of the first year of the nighttime Click It or Ticket seat belt enforcement patrols during May and October 2007, law enforcement officers will again take to the streets at night between May 19 and June 1.
A recent analysis by the Washington Traffic Safety Commission shows that the Click It or Ticket campaign may be helping to reduce fatalities on Washington roads.
Last year, both daytime and nighttime vehicle occupant fatalities were lower compared to the previous 10 years.
According to preliminary numbers, nighttime vehicle occupant deaths were 13 percent lower during 2007 (216 deaths vs. the 247 average for the previous 10 years) and daytime vehicle occupant deaths were down 21 percent (194 deaths during 2007 vs. the 245 average for the previous 10 years).
“We have a number of projects underway that are designed to reduce the number of traffic deaths on our roadways,” said Steve Lind, the safety commission’s acting director. “We are evaluating their effectiveness and early results indicate that the nighttime seat belt patrols are producing positive outcomes.”
Statewide, there will be 46 law enforcement agencies participating in the nighttime seat belt enforcement project, including the Edmonds and Lynnwood police departments as well as the Washington State Patrol.
The local Community Traffic Safety Task Force coordinator has also been instrumental in organizing local patrols for this effort.
During the most recent nighttime seat belt emphasis in October 2007, law enforcement officers statewide made 7,524 contacts with motorists and intercepted a large number of high-risk drivers, who are more likely to be involved in fatal or serious injury collisions.
Comparatively, during the inaugural May 2007 campaign, law enforcement officers cited 4,671 unbuckled drivers and passengers statewide.
“The Click It or Ticket seat belt patrols were directed to take place after 7 p.m. because the death rate is four times higher at night than it is during the day,” Lind said.
When used correctly, seat belts reduce the risk of injury and death by about 70 percent, according to local and national research.
This month, patrols will be conducted as before, involving both an observational officer and patrol vehicles. When an unbuckled motorist is spotted, the observing officer radios ahead to the patrol vehicle to make the stop.
Washington’s seat belt law passed in 1986, and at that time only 36 percent of motorists buckled up. Washington’s primary seat belt law (which gives law enforcement the authority to pull over unbuckled motorists) became effective in June 2002, when seat belt use in the state hovered at 83 percent.
The Click It or Ticket campaign was adopted in 2002 and since its inception seat belt use has risen to 96.4 percent, making Washington’s seat belt use rate one of the highest in the nation.
The extra patrols are funded by a grant from the Washington Traffic Safety Commission (WTSC).
For additional information about the Washington Traffic Safety Commission, visit www.wtsc.wa.gov
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