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The Walpole Police Department was recently awarded a $2,500 grant to conduct extra enforcement patrols in the Town of Walpole, with a focus on seatbelt violations.
The Executive Office of Public Safety and Security’s Highway Safety Division (EOPSS/HSD) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is providing funding to 72 Massachusetts communities on a competitive basis for the Click It or Ticket enforcement campaign.
From May 9 to May 23, the Walpole Police Department will join with the Highway Safety Division of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety, the Massachusetts State Police, and police departments across the country in enforcing seatbelt violations.
Last year many people were killed and many were seriously injured in motor vehicle crashes in Massachusetts. Many of them were not wearing a seat belt. The Walpole Police Department cannot stress enough the importance of buckling up – every time, on every trip – even the short ones.
In Massachusetts, the campaign is focused particularly on increasing seat belt usage among men ages 18-34, who have the lowest usage rate of any demographic group in the state. Many are under the mistaken belief that large vehicles like pick-ups and SUVs offer protection during a crash. Sadly, this is not the case.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 61 percent of pickup truck occupants killed in crashes were not buckled up.
No matter your age or gender, wearing a seat belt unquestionably increases your chance of surviving a serious crash or avoiding serious injury.
Any loss or injury on our roadways is one too many. The Walpole Police Department, in partnership with EOPSS, recognizes that injuries that result from traffic crashes can be prevented, and is committed to using this grant to help increase the percentage of individuals who elect to buckle-up in Walpole.
