Be forewarned — Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office will show no mercy to unbelted drivers this Memorial Day weekend.
JSO is taking part in a nationwide Click It or Ticket enforcement campaign to ticket all drivers not wearing seatbelts, and their unsecured passengers.
Patrol Division West Chief Pat Ivey said JSO’s traffic teams will be out day and night in all six patrol zones in Jacksonville, including the University of North Florida campus, to enforce seatbelt wearing.
This campaign is designed to make motorists aware of the connection between wearing seatbelts and the reduction of traffic fatalities.
"The fact is people who don’t wear seatbelts are 20 times more likely to die in a traffic crash,” Ivey said. “Wearing seatbelts is the most effective way to reduce fatalities in motor-vehicle crashes.”
Ivey said Duval has had 13 deaths due to crashes with unbelted vehicle occupants so far this year. That’s five more than at this time last year.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration conducted a survey that showed seatbelt use was at 87 percent in 2013. Ivey said that’s not good enough and JSO is striving for 100 percent compliance.
Last May during the national Click It or Ticket JSO wrote 243 seatbelt citations.
Florida is a primary seatbelt state. A driver can be pulled over for not wearing seatbelt without any other traffic offenses. Drivers are also responsible for unsecured passengers under the age of 18.
Ivey said there will be no seatbelt warnings. If you are caught, you will be ticketed. The national Click It or Ticket campaign will run now until June 1.
You can follow Lindsey Kilbride on Twitter @lindskilbride.
