Extra law enforcement time helps to increase seat belt use
MDT helps fund program to encourage motorists to buckle up and deter impaired drivers
The Director of the Montana Department of Transportation and Col. Paul Grimstad of the Montana Highway Patrol said on May 10 that a record number of law enforcement agencies across the state will participate in stepped-up enforcement and saturation patrols from May 21 to June 3 as part of the "Click It or Ticket" campaign.
In addition to regular scheduled hours, law enforcement patrols across the state recently put in extra hours to encourage Montana motorists to drive safe by buckling up. According to the State Highway Traffic Safety Office second quarter reports, the extra efforts are making a difference.
From Jan. 1 to March 31, 2007, statewide law enforcement agencies that currently participate in the Montana Department of Transportation Selective Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP) worked an additional 2,926 hours. During those overtime hours, 372 citations were issued to motorists driving on Montana roads for not wearing a seat belt, compared to 681 seat belt citations recorded last quarter between Oct. 30, 2006 and Dec. 31, 2006.
"We are glad to see our efforts making an impact on our motorists," said MDT Director Jim Lynch in a press release. "Buckling your seat belt is easy. Safety belts save lives and reduce the risk of serious injury. Our law enforcement agencies are working overtime to encourage all motorists to drive safe and buckle up."
According to the Highway Traffic Safety Office in the Department of Transportation, in 2006, 219 drivers and passengers died in crashes on Montana roads. More than 70 percent of them were not wearing seat belts.
"On Memorial Day and every day, we want everyone to drive safe and buckle up," said Grimstad in a press release. "As more Montanans take to the roads to begin their summer, we hope drivers and passengers will do their part and buckle up," said Col. Paul Grimstad of the Montana Highway Patrol.
The added patrols are funded by a grant from the Montana Department of Transportation's STEP program. It is designed to give law enforcement additional resources to focus on traffic safety, especially preventing impaired drivers and encouraging the use of seat belts.
"Regular seat belt use is the single most effective way to protect people and reduce fatalities in motor vehicle crashes," Director Jim Lynch stated in a press release. "We participate in the national Click It or Ticket campaign to help save lives, and to educate people on the importance of always buckling up."
Added patrols are funded by a grant from STEP. The STEP program is designed to give law enforcement additional resources to focus on traffic safety, especially deterring impaired drivers and encouraging the use of seatbelts.
"We are serious about saving lives, and we want motorists to know officers are on the roads preventing impaired drivers and enforcing Montana's seat belt law," said Lynch. "Wearing your seat belt costs you nothing, but the costs for not wearing it can be high. Emergency room treatment, long term medical costs and the ultimate price of one's life are just too much compared to just buckling up."