ODESSA, Texas — The Ector County Sheriff's Office will be starting their Click It or Ticket seat belt safety campaign over the next two weeks.
There will be an increase in enforcement between November 16 to November 29 according to a press release from the Sheriff's Office.
The goal of the campaign is to make sure that people traveling during these next couple of weeks have their seat belts on at all times. The consequence will be a fine up to $200.
The Ector County Sheriff's Office will be teaming up with the Texas Department of Public Safety to promote the campaign across Texas the press release says.
According to statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, wearing a seat belt reduces the potential of death by 45 percent for those sitting in the front seat, while in pickup trucks, the risk of dying is reduced by 60 percent.
"While many drivers and passengers have made a habit of buckling up, we still see an alarming number of nighttime motorists and pickup truck drivers and passengers who are lagging behind the rest of the state in seat belt use," said Charles Veach, Public Information Officer . "That's unfortunate, because the few seconds it takes to fasten your seat belt can mean the difference between life and death in a crash. We never enjoy giving tickets, but if doing so gets someone to buckle up and that saves their life, then it's worth it."
925 people were killed last year from not wearing their seat belts in the car when a crash occurred. Nighttime is where most crashes occur with over 2,000 deaths and 7,500 injuries coming during 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. in 2019.
If you have any questions about the campaign, you can contact Public Information Officer Charles Veach at (432) 335-3050.
