Click It or Ticket campaign hits Fremont County this Memorial Day weekend

The Memorial Day holiday weekend is a busy time in Fremont County. Roads and highways fill with tourists and travelers, roaming all over the scenic county. To help keep drivers and passengers safe, Fremont County law enforcement agencies are reminding motorists to Click It or Ticket.

The spring’s national seat belt campaign began May 21 and goes through June 3, and Fremont County drivers should expect an even greater effort over the busy Memorial Day holiday weekend.

“Buckling up is easy, and it can keep you and your family safe in the event of a crash,” said Sgt. John Zerga of the Fremont County Sheriff’s Department. “Buckling up is the law in our state. Our law enforcement officers witness the tragedies of not buckling up. We see the loss of life, and it could be easily prevented by wearing a seat belt.”

“Memorial Day weekend is here, and traffic is increasing. We just want to be sure people are doing the right thing that can save them in a crash; buckling up,” said Zerga. “If writing tickets alerts someone to the dangers of not buckling up, we’ll consider it a job worth doing.”

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data shows that nearly half (48 percent) of the passenger vehicle occupants killed in crashes in 2016 were unrestrained. At night, that number soared to 56 percent of those killed. That’s why one focus of the Click It or Ticket campaign is nighttime enforcement. Fremont County law enforcement officers will be taking a zero-tolerance approach to seat belt law enforcement, writing citations day and night.

“In Fremont County in 2016, 3 out of the 4 passenger vehicle fatalities did not buckle up, and in 2015, it was 12 out of 16. That’s 75 percent of our fatalities not buckling up,” said Zerga.

 Nationwide in 2016, almost twice as many males were killed in crashes as compared to females, with lower belt use rates, too. Of the males killed in crashes in 2016, more than half (52 percent) were unrestrained. For females killed in crashes, 40 percent were not buckled up.

“If you know someone who doesn’t buckle up when they drive or ride, please ask them to consider changing their habits,” said Zerga. “Help us spread this life-saving message before one more friend or family member is killed as a result of this senseless inaction. Seat belts save lives, and everyone—front seat and back, child and adult—needs to remember to buckle up, every trip, every time.”

Along with this enhanced enforcement effort, the Wyoming Highway Patrol is urging drivers to help keep Wyoming’s roadways safe by calling the Report Every Drunk Driver Immediately (REDDI) hotline number (800) 442-9090 to report suspected drunk drivers. Callers should be prepared to provide the dispatcher with a description of the vehicle, its location, and direction of travel.

For information about WYDOT's work, contact WYDOT public relations specialist Cody Beers at (307) 431-1803.