Today, tens of thousands of people in Illinois and Missouri will take to the road to enjoy the holiday weekend. Nationally, travel analysts predict that 30 million will be on American highways to various vacation spots. With all the extra traffic on the road, the chance of accidents also increases.
With that, drivers must be extra vigilant in order to avoid accidents. However, they can take a simple step to protect themselves in the event of a car crash. Wearing seatbelts is arguably the easiest form of protection that will help people walk away from an accident.
Officers from the St. Louis Police Department, Illinois State Police and Missouri Highway Patrol will be conducting additional patrols to look for drunk drivers and aggressive drivers, but they will also focus on enforcing seatbelt laws. They realize that they are under a public mandate to promote safety, and that buckling up is the primary way to achieve that goal.
Law enforcement’s “Click it or Ticket” campaign will be in effect throughout the weekend.
Seatbelt use in Missouri is low compared to the national average. 79 percent of Missourians buckle up, compared to 86 percent of drivers nationally. Also, 71 percent of motorists killed in 2012 traffic accidents were not wearing seatbelts.
Even with an emphasis on wearing seatbelts, drivers on Illinois and Missouri roads still have a duty to use reasonable care while behind the wheel. This means slowing down when traffic gets heavy, being mindful of hazards in construction areas, not driving under the influence of alcohol.
Source: StlToday.com, Missouri, Illinois police tell people to buckle up, May 20, 2013