Despite an ongoing campaign by the State of Illinois to get motorists and their passengers to buckle up some are still not driving safely. Evanston police issued 151 citations during the Memorial Day ‘Click It Or Ticket’ enforcement campaign including 92 for seat belt or car seat violations, police said in a release.
Across the state in 2021 the seat belt compliance rate was 93.5% but unbelted occupants still accounted for over half of those killed in traffic crashes, the release said. It said the ‘Click It Or Ticket’ campaign aims to change the behavior of the millions of “people who don’t buckle up.”
Thousands of lives could be saved each year if every vehicle occupant was properly restrained when traveling, said the release. It said that during the Memorial Day campaign, Evanston police issued 92 seat belt and car seat citations, 23 distracted driving citations, 10 no insurance citations, 26 assorted moving and non-moving citations, two no driver’s license citations and one suspended driver’s license citation.
Illinois law states that all vehicle occupants, regardless of seating position, are required to use a properly adjusted and fastened seat belt. Fines start at $25, vary depending the municipality where the ticked is issued, associated court costs and the number of violations.
“Through the Memorial Day enforcement campaign, we helped make Illinois roads safer and spread the word that seat belts and child safety restraints save lives,” said Sergeant Scott Sophier of the Evanston Police Department’s Traffic Bureau. The release said the Illinois ‘Click It or Ticket’ campaign is administered by the Illinois Department of Transportation with federal highway safety funds.
Brian L. Cox is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.