By Lee Trawick Riverbend News
Florida began it's “Click it or ticket” enforcement mobilization campaign on Monday, May 24. Hamilton, Lafayette and Suwannee Counties are all actively participating in this year's campaign which will run through Saturday, June 6.
According to a study conducted in 2019, the State of Florida had 89.8 percent of all drivers were buckled. Although the state is please with those numbers, the remaining 10.2 percent is still driving around unprotected. Of the deaths of motorists between the ages of 18 and 37, 57 percent were reported as being unrestrained. Men, statistically, are less likely to wear their safety belts than females; 65 percent of all 22,215 motor fatalities were men and 51 percent of those deaths were unrestrained.
Night driving is widely known as the most dangerous time to be on the roads. Unfortunately, even with the knowledge of the dangers of night driving, 58 percent of fatalities between the hours of 6 p.m. and 5:59 a.m. were unrestrained.
The state of Florida and local law enforcement are asking motorists to be mindful of the dangers of driving without a seatbelt. It may take 15 seconds to buckle up, but those 15 seconds could save your life and set an example for our children that could one day save their lives.