The Chippewa County Sheriff’s Office is joining law enforcement agencies throughout Wisconsin during the Click It or Ticket seat belt campaign from June 22 to July 5.

“Despite advances in vehicle technologies, wearing a seat belt remains the most important and effective step motorists can take to prevent being injured or killed in a traffic crash,” said Sheriff James Kowalczyk. “Simple actions such as buckling up, watching your speed and driving alert will help prevent many crashes and injuries, while also minimizing impacts on emergency responders and health care professionals.”

Currently, Wisconsin’s seat belt use rate stands at 90.2 percent – the highest ever. Still, 44 percent of the car and light truck occupants killed in Wisconsin traffic crashes last year were not buckled up.

“As always, our goal is voluntary compliance with traffic laws”, Sheriff Kowalczyk said. “But when officers observe violations, they’ll stop and talk with motorists to help ensure everyone is travelling safely and responsibly.”

Last year (2019) in Wisconsin, there were 41,654 traffic convictions for failure to wear a seat belt.