The Many Police Department recently received a Special Wave Enforcement grant from the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission to partner with the state in its annual Click it or Ticket program.

Beginning May 23, 2022, and continuing through June 6, 2022, the Town of Many Police Department will be checking to make sure everyone is properly secured in their vehicles, drivers and passengers alike. Extra patrols will be on duty to ensure that our Town’s citizens are safe as they travel on city streets and roads throughout town.  “This campaign is to raise awareness that wearing a seat belt is one of the safest habits to learn, from the time your children are passengers in a vehicle,” said Many Police Chief Cheryl Wooley.  “One of the safest choices you can make is to buckle up EVERY TIME you get into a vehicle, especially for children,” Wooley added.

Many Americans understand the lifesaving values of the seat belt as the national use rate was 90.7% in 2019. Seat belt use in passenger vehicles saved an estimated 14,955 lives in 2018. In contrast, of the 22,215 passenger vehicle occupants killed in 2019, 47% were not wearing seat belts.

The consequences of not wearing or improperly wearing a seat belt are clear. When a person is properly restrained in a seat belt, the chance of being ejected from the vehicle in a crash is close to zero but almost always results in death if ejected because of not wearing a seat belt. Air bags are not enough to project you in a crash and can seriously harm or kill you if you are not properly restrained in your seat belt. In 2017, 54% of unrestrained 13- to 15-year-old passengers were killed in vehicle crashes.

With school about to be out and the summer holidays fast approaching, more people will take to the roads on vacation. Always be sure you and your passengers are properly buckled in to keep everyone safe even if you are involved in a wreck. Constantly remind your children to buckle up properly during the whole ride and always make sure they are buckled in prior to moving the car, no matter how short or routine the trip.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website, NHTSA.org, has information about properly restraining vehicle occupants including infants and small children.  Always remember to buckle up when getting into a vehicle before you begin driving. The life you save just may be your own.