In an effort to help people stay aware of the dangers of being in a vehicle without wearing a seat belt, the Allen County Safe Community Coalition and the Allen East SADD Team came together to talk about just that.
It was held as the official kickoff for the Click It or Ticket campaign, which is held on Memorial Day Weekend. Around the country and here locally, law enforcement will be looking for those that are not buckled in while on the road.
"Law enforcement officials will be stepping up enforcement efforts; the goal is to save lives and reduce injuries, because seat belts do work, and this is just another tool that we use in our unceasing mission towards 100% seat belt compliance," said Lt. Tim Grigsby with the Ohio State Highway Patrol, Lima Post.
As part of the kickoff event, two Allen East students spoke of their experiences with car crashes - one was wearing her seat belt at the time of the crash, and the other was not. By sharing what they had been through, the hope is that others will take their stories to heart next time they get into a vehicle.
"I had my seat belt on, and I took it off, and that’s impacted my life in such a bad way, and I just want people to buckle up," said Kennedy Ball, a senior at Allen East High School. "Everyone says things like 'If I buckle up, I'll get whiplash,' but that's better than anything else that could come with being in a car crash without a seat belt on, and I just hope the people take this and make smarter decisions when it comes to that."
"I really hope that talking about it more will get more people to realize how dangerous it is to not buckle up when you get your car," said Ashley Huck, a junior at Allen East High School. "It only takes a few seconds and it can mean the world as to whether you live or if you don’t - with my experience, it really did save my life and my friends life by buckling up."
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there were over 10 thousand people who were killed in passenger vehicle crashes back in 2017 who were not wearing a seat belt.
Local law enforcement will be on the roads for Click It or Ticket until June 2nd.
