As summer kicks off and travel increases, the Will County Sheriff's Office is partnering with the Illinois Department of Transportation to remind motorists to Click It or Ticket.  The national seat belt enforcement campaign will take place May 22 through June 4th, concurrent with one of the busiest travel and holiday weekends of the year. 

"Our law enforcement personnel see firsthand the loss of life when people refuse to buckle up," said Traffic Sgt. Kyle Lakomiak.  "It's such a simple thing, and it should be an automatic response when you get into a vehicle.  As the Memorial Day weekend approaches and the summer vacation season ramps up, we want to make sure people are doing everything they can to stay safe in the unfortunate event of a crash."

The most recent crash data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that 43% of passenger vehicle occupants killed in crashes in 2015 were unrestrained.  That percentage increases to 57% when looking at crashes between 6pm and 6am. That's why one focus of the Click It or Ticket campaign is nighttime enforcement.  Participating police agencies will be taking a No Excuses approach.  Violators will be given a ticket.

Seat belts save lives and every vehicle occupant - front seat and back, child and adult - needs to remember to buckle up, every trip, every time.  Together, we can make zero fatalities a reality in Illinois.

For more information on the Click It or Ticket campaign, visit buckleupillinois.org

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