Memorial Day Weekend is upon us — and once again, for the fifth straight year, the Indiana State Police as well as local law enforcement agencies are joining with the national campaign overseen by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to promote the use of seat belts through the “Click It or Ticket” campaign.
In Indiana “Click It or Ticket” has already started and will continue through June 1st; however, things will really get serious over the three-day national holiday weekend over the Memorial Day holiday. There will be special police patrols on Indiana roadways during this time period, and drivers will be pulled over if there is a suspicion that they are not following Indiana seat belt laws.
What are the Indiana Seat Belt Laws?
According to IC 9-19-10-2, Use of safety belt by motor vehicle occupants; safety belt standards:
Sec. 2. Each occupant of a motor vehicle equipped with a safety belt that:
(1) meets the standards stated in the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard Number 208 (49 CFR 571.208); and
(2) is standard equipment installed by the manufacturer;
shall have a safety belt properly fastened about the occupant’s body at all times when the vehicle is in forward motion.
And under IC 9-19-10-3.1 law enforcement has been authorized by the state legislature to stop vehicles to insure compliance with the seat belt law:
Sec. 3.1. (a) Except as provided in subsection (b), a vehicle may be stopped to determine compliance with this chapter. However, a vehicle, the contents of a vehicle, the driver of a vehicle, or a passenger in a vehicle may not be inspected, searched, or detained solely because of a violation of this chapter.
(b) A law enforcement agency may not use a safety belt checkpoint to detect and issue a citation for a person’s failure to comply with this chapter.
Why is Wearing a Seat Belt Important? Click It or Ticket Works
The reason that Indiana continues to embrace the “Click It or Ticket” campaign for major holidays like Memorial Day is because it has worked to save lives and reduce serious injury to both drivers and passengers who are in a crash. The odds of surviving a traffic accident increase by 50% if the person in the crash is wearing a seat belt, according to the latest studies.
