The Jasper Police Department has completed another successful edition of the Click It or Ticket campaign
The initiative lasted for about three weeks and included the Memorial Day weekend.
During this time, officers worked 33 hours of overtime traffic enforcement, made 83 traffic stops, issued 38 written warnings, issued 68 traffic citations, and made seven criminal arrests (O.W.I., Driving While Suspended/Habitual Traffic Violator X3, Possession of Marijuana, Possession of Paraphernalia, and Warrant Served).
“We’re making progress, but unrestrained driving continues to be a concern,” Assistant Chief, Aaron Persohn, says. “Wearing a seat belt needs to be a habit. It takes very little effort and is the best way to keep you and your loved ones safe on the road. Our focus continues to be on saving lives, not writing tickets.”
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in 2020, the national seat belt use rate was 90.3 percent, which down slightly from the previous year at 90.7 percent.
Historically, seat belt use in Indiana has been above the national average, last recorded at 94.9 percent in 2019.
Despite this, data from the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute (ICJI) shows that more than half of the people who died in passenger vehicle crashes last year in Indiana were unrestrained.
Male drivers under the age of 34 were the most likely out of any age group to be found not wearing a seat belt at the time of a crash.
In total, more than 200 Indiana police agencies participated in this year’s Click It or Ticket operation, which was funded by NHTSA through ICJI.
Although the zero-tolerance campaign is over, the department will continue to educate motorists about the importance of buckling up and the law.
