Click it or Ticket Campaign Continues

The long Memorial Day holiday weekend is upon us and Muskingum County is doing its part to decrease the number of fatalities related to not buckling up.

The ‘Click-it or Ticket’ campaign aims to remind drivers of the seat belt laws that have been in effect for almost 30 years. Sheriff Matt Lutz, Lieutenant Matt Boyd, and community leaders gathered on broadcast hill today to talk about the campaign. Lutz said law enforcers are just trying to keep everyone safe.

“Law enforcement officers are trying to make a small dent in the larger picture about seat belt safety,” said Lutz. “Seat belts save lives and we want our citizens to be as safe as possible in our community. ”

Law enforcement was joined by the Zanesville-Muskingum County Health Department and Genesis Healthcare representatives to promote seat belt use. Trauma Program Manager Jane Kilgore came out to tell a personal story in order to show the significant difference clicking your seat belt can make.

“My son who we taught all along as they were growing up the importance of wearing a seat belt and he was involved in a pretty serious car accident in 2010,” said Kilgore. “Had he not been wearing his seat belt he would have died because he would have been ejected [from the vehicle].”

Local law enforcement will be out in larger numbers over holiday weekends thanks to a traffic safety grant presented by the state of Ohio. The Health Department is hosting a Seat Belt Selfie Contest to promote seat belt use. Participants can send their selfie to the email address jenniferh@zmchd.org. The winner of the contest will be announced on social media on June first.