Use The Seatbelt When Driving To Avoid Violation
Click it or ticket is a term used for using the seatbelt when driving to avoid a police officer from issuing a traffic citation. This was used during the campaign of the United States National Highway Administration (NHTSA) that aimed on the increasing usage of seatbelt among American. It may be controversial n some circles but the program was generally supported by the United States. The same phrase might also be informally used outside the US for the same purposes. To support the continuous campaign, driving schools are imposing strict compliance on wearing a safety belt during the training and providing more awareness to student learners about the consequences of such violation.
The phrase click it or ticket is a reference to the sound made when a person is securing a seat belt inside the car. It was made mandatory in the US in the year 1966 but the percentage of individuals who strictly follow the rules remained very low until 1980’s. In the beginning of 1984, there were many states that started to pass legislations that require occupants of a moving vehicle to wear seatbelts for security reasons. This is the time when the phrase Click it or Ticket became a commonly used slogan that reminds people of the penalties under the law for this kind of violation. The phrase was since adapted by the NHTSA to describe the national seat belt law enforcement program. Once in a year, the NHTSA is organizing a crackdown period wherein law enforcement agencies and other advocacy groups will work on the increasing awareness on the benefits of wearing a safety belt and the amount of penalties associated if a law enforcer will catch a person inside a moving vehicle without a seat belt.
In addition to their annual campaign, they also designed pro-seatbelt advertisement for both state and national levels. Many driving schools that are conducting trainings for new drivers have shown support for the program. There were many other organizations that produce some television ads, billboards and traffic signs that often raise awareness on the fines for not wearing a safety belt.
There were other people who criticized seat belt legislation as limiting personal freedom. Some were arguing that mandating the use of seat belt in a vehicle operation infringes the civil rights of a person and must not be permitted. In contrast, the supporters of the campaign claim that the legislation was set as a measure for public safety. This is because wearing a seatbelt have shown to decrease injuries or death in car accidents.
Most driving schools these days are setting up classroom curricula where traffic laws such as wearing a safety belt are discussed. It was a major controversy whether this kind of violation is a primary offense that will give the rights for police officers to pull the car over or a secondary offense given only when another offense was cited prior to the issue of the ticket. Laws in every state may vary and during this year, it is considered a primary offense in some areas in the United States.
