Officers Urging Residents To Buckle Up

Green Country police officers will be out in full force this week, making sure drivers are wearing their seat belts. It's part of the national Click It or Ticket campaign. Bixby police began Click

Sunday, May 20th 2007, 4:29 pm

By: News On 6

Green Country police officers will be out in full force this week, making sure drivers are wearing their seat belts. It's part of the national Click It or Ticket campaign. Bixby police began Click It or Ticket a day early with Buckle Up Bixby. They are citing drivers for not wearing seatbelts and rewarding those who remember to buckle up.

"It's been proven over and over again, if you're not wearing a seat belt, your chances of dying in a crash are 50% higher," said Bixby Police Officer Erik Smoot.

That's the message Bixby police officers wanted to get across at the intersection of 111th and Mingo. Sunday was Buckle Up Bixby, the pre-cursor to Click It or Ticket. That campaign will take place across the country from May 21st until June 3.

Police say this is the perfect time of year for the Click It or Ticket campaign. With the warmer weather and Memorial Day coming up, everyone is out having a good time and may be less likely to buckle up.

Most Bixby drivers passed the test, and much to their surprise, many were rewarded for wearing their seatbelts. Officers handed out free movies, as well as QuikTrip and Cold Stone creamery coupons. Some drivers even admitted they don't buckle up every time they get behind the wheel, but promise to do so from now on.

Others were less fortunate. Instead of receiving a coupon, those who neglected to wear a seatbelt received a citation. Bixby police promise to be out in force for the duration of Click It or Ticket. As for the coupons, officers quickly ran out of them, but if it encourages people to be safe, they say they'll get more.

"We just want you to wear your seatbelt,â€ Smoot. â€œIf we can do that by handing out coupons and making things better, we'll do that. Whatever we need to do to get people to buckle up, that's what we want."

Bixby police will be paying particular attention to pickup truck and SUV drivers over the next two weeks. They say that those vehicles are twice as likely to be involved in fatal rollover accidents.

Watch the video: Green Country Officers Preparing For National Campaign