Wisconsin State Patrol: 10,000 Cited In Seatbelt Crackdown

'Click it or Ticket' nabs 10,000 in seatbelt crackdown - NewsoftheNorth.Net Inc.

'Click it or Ticket' Nabs 10,000 In Seatbelt Crackdown
By NN.N Editorial Staff
Published 06/21/2010 - 1:20 p.m. CDT

Better buckle up or you could be next in Wisconsin’s sweeping seatbelt enforcement crackdown.

State officials say more than 10,000 drivers and vehicle occupants were cited for not wearing their safety belts by the Wisconsin State Patrol during the recent "Click it or Ticket" safety campaign.

Wisconsin has one of the nation’s lowest safety belt use rates, at about 74%, ranking 48th out of 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. By contrast, neighboring states such as Michigan and Illinois have seatbelt use rates of more than 90 percent.

Officials say the Wisconsin State patrol issued over 6,300 citations and 500 warnings to vehicle occupants who were not buckled up. That’s up an estimated three to four times more than written last year and an indication that Wisconsin is serious about enforcing its primary seatbelt law.

"Click it or Ticket" ran from May 24 through June 6, and the numbers are still being gathered so that 10,000 figure will go much higher as more data comes in from nearly 375 law enforcement agencies.

Pick-up truck drivers are the least likely to wear seatbelts, officials added.