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Click It or Ticket
 Indiana has seen tremendous improvements in traffic safety since 1999, one of the deadliest years in the past decade for fatal crashes. In 1999, 1,021 Hoosiers lost their lives in traffic crashes. The seat belt usage rate was about 57 percent.
In 2001, traffic crashes were responsible for 894 fatalities on Indiana's roadways. Indiana's seat belt usage rate rose to 67 percent from 62 percent. But of the 894 deaths, nearly 70 percent of the victims were not wearing a seat belt. Many of these deaths and injuries could have been prevented if the victims had been properly restrained. In an effort to continue saving lives on Indiana roadways, the Governor's Council on Impaired & Dangerous Driving, a division of the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute, has implemented the "Click It or Ticket" campaign.
"Click It or Ticket" uses high-visibility enforcement, aggressive public information, education, and intense media coverage to send the message to motorists that if they do not comply with Indiana's seat belt and child restraint laws, they will receive a ticket.
If Indiana's present seat belt usage rate increased by 10 percent, an estimated 100 lives would be saved and thousands of serious injuries prevented. This represents an economic savings of nearly $150 million to the state.
State, county, and municipal law enforcement agencies have ZERO TOLERANCE for motorists who don't comply with Indiana's laws.
It's not about writing tickets. It's about SAVING LIVES on Indiana's roadways.
Indiana's Seat Belt Law
- Anyone riding in the front seat of most vehicles MUST wear a seat belt
- Everyone 12 years old and older is subject to this law
- Violators can be fined up to $25
DO NOT wear Seat Belts:
- Under the arm
- Loose or floppy
- Over the face
- Behind the back
- Across the neck
- Over bulky clothing
Indiana's Child Restraint Law
- Children under age 4 must be in safety seats that meet current federal safety standards
- Children between the afes of 4 and 12 must use a child safety seat or a vehicle seat belt
- Drivers are responsible for children being properly restrained in the vehicle
- If children are not properly buckled up, the driver of the vehicle can be fined $25 and be assessed 8 points against his or her driver's license and be required to appear in court
A correctly used child safety seat must:
- Fit the child's height and weight
- Be secured to the vehicle with a seat belt
- Have the harness straps snug, not loose
- Face to the rear of the vehicle for infants under 20 pounds and 1 year of age
- Be used according to safety seat and vehicle manufacturer's instructions
DID YOU KNOW?
- Every hour someone dies in America simply because they didn't take two seconds to buckle up
- Failure to buckle up plays a role in more motor vehicle fatalities than any other traffic safety-related behavior
- Proper use of child safety seats reduces fatal injury by 71 percent for infants and by 54 percent for toddlers (one to four years old) in passenger cars
- If a crash occurs at 40 miles per hour, a 150 pound, unbelted occupant will be thrown from the vehicle with 6,000 pounds of force
- The total estimated economic loss to Indiana for motor vehicle crashes is more than $2.7 billion annually
- The proper use of seat belts and child safety seats are required by Indiana law
- Three out of four crashes occur within 25 miles of home. They can happen on the way to school, work, grocery store, or even within your own neighborhood.
- Indiana statistics show that when parents aren't buckled up, only 57 percent of children are. The same statistics show that when parents do buckle up, about 93 percent of children do as well.
- Three out of four people who are ejected from a vehicle during a crash will die as a result.
- A seat belt worn improperly can cause serious internal injuries.
- A seat belt worn improperly can cause serious internal injuries.
- Seat belts will increase your chance of surviving a crash by 50 percent.
For more information about Click It or Ticket, visit the Criminal Justice Institute's website at: http://www.in.gov/cji/clickit/clickit.htm.
For more information on child restraint safety, visit the Safe Kids website at: http://safekids.org/.
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