'Click It or Ticket' Nets 5,190 Occupant Restraint Charges
14 September 2000
'Click It or Ticket' Nets 5,190 Occupant Restraint Charges From Sept. 4-10; Law Enforcement Well on the Way to Exceeding Goal Of 2,000 Checkpoints And Patrols During Fall Campaign
RALEIGH, N.C., Sept. 13 After pledging to conduct more
than 2,000 checkpoints and patrols during the fall "Click It or Ticket"
campaign, North Carolina law enforcement is proving that they are well on the
way to exceeding their goal.
From September 4-10, the second week of the campaign, officers statewide
conducted 871 law enforcement activities in support of North Carolina's seat
belt and child passenger safety initiative, which will continue through
September 17. As a result of these activities, law enforcement wrote 4,759
seat belt and 431 child passenger safety violations. The numbers were
reported by law enforcement agencies in each county and compiled by the North
Carolina State Highway Patrol.
"The number of checkpoints and patrols that have been conducted on behalf
of 'Click It or Ticket,' both during this campaign and the previous one in
May, far exceeds that of any other year since the campaign began in 1993,"
said Joe Parker, director of the Governor's Highway Safety Program. "North
Carolina law enforcement continually prove they are more serious than ever
about occupant protection, and I commend them on their dedication and hard
work."
Besides cracking down on seat belt and child passenger safety violators,
officers last week charged 809 with driving while impaired (DWI). They
discovered a total of 24,174 violations, including 183 drug charges, 16 stolen
vehicles, and eight fugitives from justice.
The goal of "Click It or Ticket" is to boost seat belt use in North
Carolina, saving lives, preventing injuries, and reducing the massive health-
care costs associated with traffic crashes. In addition to ticketing
unbuckled drivers, officers are paying particular attention to unrestrained
children. All children up to age 16 must be buckled up no matter where they
ride in the vehicle. Children under age 5 and weighing less than 40 pounds
must ride in a child passenger safety seat -- in the back seat, if the vehicle
has an active passenger-side airbag. Beginning December 1, anyone who fails
to adhere to these laws will get two points on his or her driver's license.
Statewide Totals
DWI Occupant Restraint Traffic Violations
Driving Child
While Passenger Total
Total Impaired Seat Belt Safety Traffic
Checkpoints Violations Violations Violations Speeding Violations
and Patrols
819 765 4,331 402 6,665 20,189
(Aug. 28-Sept. 3)
871 809 4,759 431 7,761 23,114
(Sept. 4-10)
Criminal Violations
Other
Misdemeanor Felony Stolen Criminal
Drug Drug Firearm Vehicles Fugitives Violations
Violations Violations Violations Recovered Arrested Not Listed
189 49 10 14 1 748
132 51 18 16 8 835
Total
Total Traffic &
Criminal Criminal
Violations Violations
996 21,185
1,060 24,174
For county-by-county "Click It or Ticket" numbers, contact Jill Warren
Lucas or Erica Hinton at the GHSP, 919-733-3083. Inquiries also may be made
via E-mail to the addresses above. For more information about "Click It or
Ticket" or other North Carolina highway safety issues, visit our Web site at:
http://www.dot.state.nc.us/services/ghsp .