Teenagers are especially vulnerable. Between the ages of 16 and 18, young people are at a deadly intersection of age and high risk behaviors. They sometimes experiment with drinking, drugs, smoking and other unsafe behaviors. They also sometimes take chances when riding in cars, like speeding, joking around, not paying attention to the road and, most often, not wearing a seat belt. These behaviors put teens at a very high risk of being injured and killed out on the road.
Like us, law enforcement officers know that Teens are at a higher risk of being disabled, scarred, or killed in car crashes. That's why, during the week of May 19-26 (Buckle Up America Week), the police will be on the lookout for anyone not a wearing seat belt, and will be on special alert for teenagers. They'll issue tickets, no warnings.
In many States, police will be doing special Click It or Ticket campaigns. These campaigns will be supported by paid media advertising?on TV or radio, in the paper or on the road itself. Click It or Ticket means just that: buckle up or else. [Go to http://nhtsa.dot.gov see what States are participating in these campaigns.]
The police aren't out to make people's lives difficult, any more that we are when we tell people to adopt healthier behaviors. We all just want you to get where you're going and we don't want to face your parents, spouses, family members and friends if something happens to you. No one likes to get pulled over for any reason but the truth is, the threat of a ticket works. It gets people to buckle up and saves lives.
You can avoid getting a ticket, and lower your risk of getting hurt or killed, by doing something simple: buckle up, every time you get in a car or truck. You can also help your family and friends lower their risk: tell them that you buckle up and ask that they do the same.
Some other good reasons to buckle up:
The death rate for teenage drivers in traffic crashes is four times as high as the rate for older drivers.Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for:
- Teenagers 15-20 years old
- Children 4-14 years old
- Hispanics 1-44 years old
- African Americans 1-14 years old
