Virginia Beach, Norfolk law enforcement focusing on seat belt use

It’s that time of year again, when the federal government puts pressure on state and local governments to crack down on drivers who fail to buckle their seat belts when they get behind the wheel.  Drivers in the Tidewater area including Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Portsmouth and Chesapeake need to be alert and aware of this enforcement campaign.

Yesterday U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood kicked off the annual, national Click It or Ticket campaign that aims to encourage drivers to buckle up – and threatens them with a ticket if they don’t.  According to LaHood, “If you are one of the 45 million Americans who won't buckle up, our Click It or Ticket enforcement mobilization will be looking for you."

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) every day about 38 people die in auto accidents across the US while not wearing a seat belt.  The NHTSA believes that half of those individuals would still be alive today if they’d been wearing a seat belt.

Are you a young adult, man, teen, night-time driver, rural driver or pickup truck driver?  These types of Virginia drivers are, according to statistics, more likely to not wear seat belts while driving.  That also means you’re more likely to be ticketed if you’re caught.  You’ve been warned: the local police are looking out for drivers without a seat belt from now through June 6.