Corbin Police officers are among numerous law enforcement agencies across the commonwealth participating in the “Click It or Ticket’ seatbelt enforcement campaign.
Through June 3, officers will be on the lookout for motorists that fail to use seat belts and ensure all of their passengers are belted in.
“Our law enforcement personnel see firsthand the loss of life when people refuse to buckle up,” said Corbin Police Chief Rusty Hedrick.
Hedrick told the Corbin City Commission Monday night that federal funding has been provided to pay the necessary officers overtime to focus on the enforcement effort.
Of the 834 highway fatalities in Kentucky in 2017, more than half were not wearing a seat belt.
According to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, 235 people have been killed on Kentucky’s highways in 2018.
Of those deaths, 103 were not wearing seat belts.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, when seat belts are worn correctly, they reduce the risk of fatalities by 45 percent for front seat vehicle occupants and by 60 percent for pickup truck, SUV and minivan occupants.
Officials at the Whitley County Clerk’s Office said the fine for a seat belt violation is $25. Officers may write separate citations for each individual found not wearing a seat belt. The citations are written to the driver.
“Please, help us spread this life-saving message before one more friend or family member is killed as a result of this senseless inaction,” Hedrick said. “Seat belts save lives and everyone–front seat and back, child and adult–needs to remember to buckle up, every trip, every time.”
