Click it or Ticket FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 16, 2012 CONTACT: Chief Kenn Thellmann Walton Hills Police Department 7595 Walton Road Walton Hills, Ohio 44146 (440) 232-1313 Chiefofpolice@Waltonhillsohio.gov Click It or Ticket Aims to Boost Seat Belt Use Local Law Enforcement Agencies Partnering to Conduct Seat Belt Enforcement Zones Walton Hills, Ohio – Motorists who refuse to wear their seat belts should be prepared to receive a reminder from local law enforcement that using seat belts in Ohio is the law. The 2012 national Click It or Ticket seat belt enforcement mobilization kicks off May 21 to help save lives by cracking down on those who don’t buckle up. According to the Ohio Department of Public Safety, 62 percent of Cuyahoga County motor vehicle occupants who were killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2011 were not wearing their seat belts at the time of the crash. “Despite all of the education, ads and reminders, too many drivers and passengers on the road are still not wearing their seat belts, and it all too often ends in tragedy if there’s a crash,” said Chief Kenn Thellmann “Our goal is to save more lives. If the only way to reach those motorists who don’t buckle up is to give them a ticket, then that’s what we’ll do.” The Cuyahoga County Speed, Reckless & Aggressive Driving/DUI Reduction Task Force and the Walton Hills Police Department is joining with other state and local law enforcement officers and highway safety advocates across the country to help save more lives by strongly enforcing seat belt laws. Local departments will be participating in concentrated “Seat Belt Enforcement Zones” beginning May 21 and continuing through June 15. Participating departments will dedicate traffic patrols three hours per day to enforcing all of Ohio’s traffic laws, but most importantly ticketing those violating Ohio’s seat belt, booster seat and child restraint laws—no warnings, no excuses. The Seat Belt Enforcement Zones that will see high visibility seat belt enforcement efforts include: •Northeast Zone: Euclid, Bratenahl, Cleveland, East Cleveland, Cleveland Heights, Richmond Heights, South Euclid, Lyndhurst, Mayfield Heights, Ohio State Highway Patrol •East Central Zone: Cleveland, Pepper Pike, Chagrin Falls, Moreland Hills, Orange Village, Warrensville Heights, Solon, Glenwillow, Oakwood, Highland Hills, Bedford Heights, Bedford, Walton Hills, Maple Heights, Garfield Heights, Valley View, Ohio State Highway Patrol •West Central Zone: Brooklyn Heights, Seven Hills, Parma, Cleveland, Parma Heights, Brooklyn, Brook Park, Middleburg Heights, Berea, Cleveland Metroparks Ranger Department, Ohio State Highway Patrol •Southern Zone: Seven Hills, Parma, Middleburg Heights, Berea, Strongsville, North Royalton, Broadview Heights, Ohio State Highway Patrol •Northeast Zone: Lakewood, Cleveland, Rocky River, Fairview Park, North Olmsted, Westlake, Olmsted Falls, Olmsted Township, Cuyahoga County Sheriff, Ohio State Highway Patrol Seat belt use saves thousands of lives across America each year. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) statistics show that in 2010 alone, seat belts saved an estimated 12,546 lives nationwide. However, too many Cuyahoga County motorists need a tough reminder. In a 2011 observational seat belt usage survey, only 73 percent of Cuyahoga County motorists buckled up, compared to 84 percent throughout Ohio and 85 percent for the nation. “Using a seat belt reduces the risk of death in a crash by 45 percent and the risk of serious injury by 50 percent,” noted Chief Kenn Thellmann “Always using a seat belt is the easiest, cheapest, smartest thing you can do to raise your odds of walking away unharmed if you’re in a crash.”

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