Law enforcement to crack down on Click It or Ticket

ZANESVILLE, Ohio- Last year, 45% of fatal crashes in Muskingum County were the result of not wearing a seat belt. Now law enforcement is cracking down and it’s time to click it or ticket.

The Muskingum County Safe Communities Coalition kicked off their National Click It or Ticket Seat Belt Enforcement Campaign at the Muskingum County Fairgrounds. The coalition wants to educate people on the importance of wearing seat belts at all times. In 2017, nine people were killed in crashes.

“We had speakers today from the Ohio State Highway Patrol and also Community Ambulance just talking about the importance of wearing a seat belt because unfortunately we have fatalities from people not wearing their seat belt and they see it first hand the ugly part of it, said Jessica Emerick a Health Educator at the Zanesville-Muskingum County Public Health Department.

Emerick said most accidents happen five to seven miles from peoples destinations. A big part of it is people don’t believe they need to wear one when they’re going a short distance. Emerick said this isn’t true and it’s important to always have one on. In fact, she said wearing a seatbelt saved her life.

“In 2008, the first snow of the year in December, it was my mother’s birthday. I hit a ditch at a good angle. Hit some black ice so I went off the road and hit a ditch and my car flipped over,” shared Emerick. “And because of my seat belt I was alive and okay and had no injuries at all. I’m just grateful for that variable that day.”

Emerick said not wearing a belt is a secondary offense and if caught drivers can be fined $30 and passengers fined $20.