The La Crosse Police Department and La Crosse County Sheriff’s Department, along with hundreds of other law enforcement agencies throughout Wisconsin, will participate in the annual Click It or Ticket safety belt enforcement campaign from May 19 – June 1, 2014.
“Our officers will be on the lookout for unbuckled motorists. If you’re not wearing a safety belt, we will stop your vehicle and you will get a ticket,” said Lt. Patrick Hogan. “During the Click It or Ticket mobilization, and throughout the year, we will stringently enforce Wisconsin’s mandatory safety belt law. We’re not trying to write more tickets. Through enforcement and education, we’re striving to get people to buckle up every time they drive or ride in a vehicle.”
In Wisconsin, approximately one out of five motorists does not buckle up, according to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. More than half of the drivers and passengers killed in Wisconsin traffic crashes in 2013 were not wearing safety belts. Last year, there were more than 70,000 convictions for failure to fasten a seat belt.
“Consistent safety belt use is the most effective protection against being ejected from a vehicle during a crash or thrown around violently inside it and possibly hitting another person in the vehicle with massive force,” Captain Michael Horstman from La Crosse Sheriff’s Office says. “Our deputies are serious about safety belt enforcement because we’re determined to reach the goal of zero preventable traffic deaths in Wisconsin.”
For questions regarding the upcoming Click It or Ticket campaign, contact La Crosse Police Sergeant Randy Rank at (608) 789-7206 or La Crosse Sheriff’s Office Captain Mike Horstman at (608) 785-6197. If interested in an interview or ride along with the Sheriff’s Department, contact Captain Horstman.
La Crosse PD Newsroom 