Mike Dunn, public information officer for the City of Temple Terrace, issued the following release on May 20:

The Temple Terrace Police Department will join agencies across Florida this spring for the national “Click It, Or Ticket” seatbelt enforcement initiative.

The special enforcement effort will run from May 23 through June 5.

Law enforcement officers will be on the lookout for motorists who are not wearing their seatbelts. Officers will put special emphasis on those who fail to wear seatbelts during nighttime hours, said Capt. Mike Pridemore of the Temple Terrace Police Department.

Studies show that vehicle occupants are less likely to buckle up at night, and therefore more likely to die in a serious crash, he said. In 2009, 62 percent of drivers and passengers who died in a nighttime vehicle accident were not wearing seatbelts at the time of the fatal crashes, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration.

Research has shown that regular seatbelt usage is the most effective way to protect motorists and reduce fatalities in vehicle crashes.

“We’ll be out there reminding drivers and passengers how important it is to buckle up—both day and night,” Pridemore said. “Those who don’t will be ticketed.”

Stay safe day and night. Buckle up and encourage your loved ones to do the same. You’ll save the cost of a ticket, and maybe save a life.