SEVIER COUNTY, Tenn. — The Sevierville Police Department is partnering with the Tennessee Highway Safety Office to remind motorists to wear seat belts.
As summer kicks off and families hit the road, from May 20 to June 2, participating agencies across the state will increase seat belt enforcement as part of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s nationwide mobilization.
According to SPD, there have been over 400 total crashes in Sevierville in just the first four months resulting in more than 60 injuries.
“We want seat belt use to be an automatic habit for drivers and passengers alike,” SPD Deputy Chief Sam Hinson said. “It’s not just a safe thing to do — it’s the law. During the Click It or Ticket campaign, we’ll be working with our fellow law enforcement officers across local and state lines to ensure the message gets out to drivers and passengers"
One focus of the "Click It or Ticket" campaign is nighttime enforcement. NHTSA data shows a higher number of unrestrained passenger vehicle occupant fatalities happen at night, according to SPD.
Seat belt use differs among females and males as well. According to Tennessee’s Integrated Traffic Analysis Network, 43% of males killed in Tennessee crashes last year were unrestrained. Of females killed in crashes, 35% were not buckled up.
"Buckling up is the simplest thing you can do to limit injury or save your life during a crash," Hinson said, "We see the results of not wearing a seat belt all the time. We see the loss of life. So often, it could have been prevented.”
SPD said participating law enforcement agencies will take a "no-excuses" approach to seat belt law enforcement, writing citations day and night. In Sevierville, the maximum penalty for a seat belt violation is $55.
For more information about seat belt safety, visit www.tntrafficsafety.org/seat-belts.
