DES MOINES — Recent crash data shows motorists are buckling up more during the day than at night.
The Click It or Ticket campaign across Iowa and the United States is focusing on heightened seat belt enforcement 24-7, and a more defined focus of seat belt enforcement will take place between the evening/overnight hours of 6 p.m. and 5:59 a.m., because of the significant number of violators and fatal crashes during this time period.
Over the last 10 years, Iowa has averaged 5.3 traffic fatalities during the three-day Memorial Day holiday weekend.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), nearly half of the 21,132 motorists who were killed on our nation’s roadways in 2013 were not wearing seat belts — that number jumped to 67 percent for males aged 13 – 15.
Buckling up in the back seat is just as important. Half of all those riding in the front seat that were killed in crashes in 2012 were unrestrained, and 61 percent of those killed in back seats were unrestrained. Every fatality is more than just a statistic; it is a life, a family member or friend.
The Iowa Department of Public Safety (DPS) and the Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau (GTSB) want people to remember the single most effective way to reduce fatalities in motor vehicle crashes is to wear a seat belt every day, every trip.