Click It or Ticket From the Wisconsin DOT, Division of State Patrol,  Bureau of Transportation Safety                                       and Chippewa Falls PD

One in four motorists in Wisconsin does not buckle up.  This is a seemingly harmless and fairly common violation of the mandatory safety belt law but all too often leads to tragedy. Lives are destroyed, families are devastated, and society suffers substantial economic losses when people are needlessly killed or injured in crashes because they were not wearing a safety belt.

In a local effort to prevent such needless deaths and serious injuries the Chippewa Falls Police Department, along with law enforcement agencies from all over Wisconsin, will be out in force to crackdown on unbuckled motorists during the annual Click It or Ticket mobilization from May 24 to June 6.  This is designed to encompass the heavy travel period around Memorial Day weekend.  Chippewa Falls Police Lt. Mark Hanson says that seatbelt use in the area has definitely improved, but could be better. Compliance in Wisconsin is now at about 74% but the national average is 84%.  He says the department is again participating in hopes of improving compliance even more and kicking off the summer travel season on a safe note.  “As we’ve said before, we’re not striving to write more tickets.  In fact we’d be thrilled if we didn’t have to.  We simply are trying to get everyone to buckle up every time they drive or ride in a motor vehicle” said Hanson.

The Chippewa Falls Police Department would like to remind motorists that Wisconsin enacted primary safety belt enforcement in 2009, which allows officers to stop and ticket unbuckled drivers and passengers even if no other violation is observed  “Our ultimate goal in Wisconsin is to reduce the number of preventable traffic deaths to zero. That’s why we are saying buckle up—every trip, every time.  By taking a few seconds to fasten that safety belt, you avoid the delay of a traffic stop, the expense of a ticket, and the frighteningly real possibility of a violent death”.

Submitted by Lt. Mark Hanson

Chippewa Falls PD

*For further comment or additional information feel free to contact Chief Wendy Stelter, Capt. John Liddell or myself at 723-4424.