LYNN — Lynn Police will be taking part in the national “Click it or Ticket” campaign, an effort to reduce motor vehicle injuries and fatalities by increasing seat belt use.
Lynn Police are partnering with the Highway Safety Division of the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security’s Office, State Police, and up to 158 other local police departments in Massachusetts to take part in the campaign until May 28, police said.
This high-visibility mobilization will promote seat belt use through increased traffic enforcement in an effort to reduce motor vehicle deaths and injuries, police said.
Seat belt usage in Massachusetts is significantly lower than the national average — 74 percent compared to 90 percent, according to the state’s annual seat belt observation study.
Of the 242 people killed in motor vehicle crashes on Massachusetts roads in 2016, 59 percent were not wearing seat belts, police said.
Seat belts saved an estimated 115 lives in Massachusetts in 2016 and an additional 45 deaths could have been prevented if seat belt use was at 100 percent, according to NHTSA.
“There’s a dangerous misconception that you don’t need a seat belt if you’re on a short trip,” said Jeff Larson, director of the Massachusetts Highway Safety Division, in a statement. “Nothing could be further from the truth.
“Most crashes happen close to home. Wearing a seat belt is the single most effective way to protect yourself from other drivers’ bad decisions. We’re asking all motorists to protect themselves by wearing a seat belt on every trip.”
