The O'Neill Police Department helped to raise awareness about seat belt safety to area residents during its annual Click It or Ticket high-visibility seat belt enforcement campaign, held May 23 through June 5. The campaign, which coincided with the Memorial Day holiday, was twofold: to combine increased enforcement and a zero-tolerance policy, with effective communication to road users on the importance of seat belt use. On May 23, the campaign commenced with Border to Border, a one-day, 4-hour national seat belt awareness event coordinated by participating state highway safety offices and their respective law enforcement liaisons. This year's Click It or Ticket campaign was a real success. We believe we helped keep community members safe and reminded drivers of the importance of buckling up. Issuing tickets was not our goal, but it was a way to remind people of the importance of such a simple action. During this year's campaign, NHTSA urged law enforcement nationwide to issue seat belt citations to anyone caught in violation of the law — during the day, and especially at night, when 55% of those killed are unrestrained. According to the 2021 Nebraska Seat Belt Use Survey report, Nebraska's overall seat belt use rate for 2021 was 81.2%. The Click It or Ticket campaign is focusing on the remaining 18.8% who still don't buckle up. Thousands of lives could be saved each year if every person was properly restrained on the road.
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