Town of Madison Police Department

2120 Fish Hatchery Road · Madison, Wisconsin 53713

608-210-7262 · FAX: 608-210-7237

Scott T. Gregory, Chief of Police

MEDIA RELEASE

Date of Release: May 25, 2006

Released By: Chief Scott Gregory

Incident: Click It or Ticket Enforcement

Date: May 23, 2006

Town of Madison Police Department joins nationwide “Click It or Ticket” mobilization

Teenagers and young adults are going to be surrounded with the strong message, “Click It or Ticket. If you won’t buckle up to save your life, then buckle up to save yourself a ticket.”

The Town of Madison Police Department joins hundreds of Wisconsin law enforcement agencies and more than 13,000 agencies nationwide to crack down on safety belt law violators. The message will be seen and heard in television and radio ads, across cross college campuses, and through enforcement in locations where young people congregate such as schools and sporting events.

National and statewide advertising will support the two-week enforcement wave, which runs from May 22 through June 4. It is based on a proven model to increase belt use called “high visibility enforcement.” Last year, the similar national Click It or Ticket campaign increased safety belt use nationwide to 82 percent, the highest rate ever.

The only proven way to get significant increases in belt use among young people and ultimately to save lives is through high visibility enforcement, including targeted and intense advertising to alert people to the enforcement. Teens and young adults are killed at far higher rates in crashes because they are caught in a lethal intersection of inexperience, risk taking and low safety belt use. These tragedies are predictable and therefore preventable using proven high visibility enforcement techniques.

Tragically, for two out of three 16-19 year old drivers killed in motor vehicle crashes, it is their first crash and their last. In 2005, traffic crashes claimed the lives of 114 Wisconsin teens. Drivers between the ages of 16 and 19 are more likely to be in a motor vehicle crash that other age groups and have more crashes involving high risk factors. Teen drivers who are involved in crashes are more likely to be reported as exceeding the speed limit, driving too fast for conditions, failing to control, and driving inattentively according to the contributing circumstances listed on crash reports.

This year, nearly one teen driver in eight will be involved in some sort of crash. “During the mobilization we will be concentrating on safety belt use by all vehicle occupants, regardless of age said Chief Gregory. We want everybody to buckle up every trip, but we especially want to get this message out to young drivers and passengers.

The “Click It or Ticket” mobilization will feature a two-week enforcement wave with more officers on the street for more hours. They will aggressively enforce all traffic laws, paying special attention to safety belt use. If you are stopped for an offense and not wearing your belt, there will be no second chance. Fail to buckle up and you will get a ticket.

We’re very serious about this. People know they should buckle up. If they choose to ignore common sense and good advice, we’ll give them a very persuasive reminder.

On May 23, 2006 the Town of Madison Police Department conducted a concentrated enforcement effort on the W. Beltline Hwy. Again, more vehicles were speeding and people were not wearing their safety belts. With a total of five squad cars during a 4-hour period of time 37 traffic stops were made with 44 citations issued. Out of those 44 citations, 33 citations were for speeding and 8 citations for violating our safety belt laws.

We will continue to actively enforce our traffic laws on the W. Beltline Hwy and other areas within the Town of Madison.

An archived copy of this and other Town of Madison Police Department News Releases is available on the department’s website at www.town.madison.wi.us/police/index.html