New Mexico law enforcement is reminding motorists to Click It or Ticket. As part of the national seat belt enforcement campaign, law enforcement agencies around the country will be stepping
up enforcement Monday, May 18 – Sunday, May 31, heading into one of the busiest travel weekends of the year.
“With the Memorial Day weekend around the corner, we want to make sure people are using their seatbelts. This one simple step is a proven life saver in motor vehicle crashes. If these enforcement crackdowns get people’s attention and get them to buckle up, then we’ve done our job,” said New Mexico Department of Transportation Secretary Tom Church.
Last year New Mexico’s seat belt use rate was 92.1 percent, which is higher than the national rate of 87 percent. However, preliminary data shows that 152 unbelted vehicle occupants died in crashes in New Mexico 2014.
New Mexico is one of 34 states that have a primary seat belt law which allows law enforcement officers to ticket all seated passengers for not wearing a seat belt, without any other traffic offense taking place. Seat belt use is approximately 10 percent higher in states with a primary seatbelt law.
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