Miss. Highway Patrol urges holiday travelers to ‘Click It or Ticket’

Mississippi Highway Patrol will be enforcing the state’s seatbelt laws through its “Click It or Ticket” campaign over the Memorial Day holiday weekend. 
The media blitz started May 14 and has been vital in raising awareness of the state’s mandatory seat belt law that passed in 2006.  In 2011, 26,375 seatbelt citations were issued all over the state.
Most drivers and passengers who die in traffic accidents were not buckled in.  Contrarily, wearing a seat belt could have saved 65% of those who died in an accident without a seatbelt on.
Just in Mississippi, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says that the average driver is 3.5 times more likely to die by not wearing a seatbelt than the average American driver. The good news is that seat belt usage has increased from 71.3% in 2008 to 81.88% in 2011, reducing traffic deaths by nearly 20% statewide.
MHP encourages everyone driving or riding in a vehicle to buckle up and drive safely at all times.