They’re not the fashion police, but University of Houston Department of Public Safety (UHDPS) police officers want members of the campus community to wear a certain item year round — safety belts.

From May 22 – June 4, UHDPS will participate in the national Click It or Ticket campaign to promote the use of car/truck safety belts. Officers will be on the lookout for drivers and car passengers not wearing their safety belts, as well as children not secured in the proper vehicle restraints.

According to Texas law, passengers riding in the front seat of a vehicle must wear their safety belts, and adolescents under five years old must be fastened in children’s safety restraints in the back seat. Violations of these laws can result in fines of up to $200.

“A lot of people driving around campus don't think that either they or their children need to buckle up,” said Malcolm Davis, UH chief of police and executive director of public safety. “Some look at buckling up as an inconvenience. Others feel that their personal driving skills are good enough so that their children need to use safety belts.”

Despite drivers’ confidence in their abilities behind the wheel, statistics reflect otherwise. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 31,693 passenger vehicle occupants died in traffic accidents in 2004. Fifty-five percent of those killed were not wearing their seat belts. The NHTSA also reported that if every state conducted high visibility enforcement of safety belt laws, 5,000 – 7,000 lives could be saved each year.

“In Texas, seat-belt usage in Texas was up seven percent in 2005,” Davis said. “NHTSA estimates this increase in seat-belt usage is estimated to prevent 185 fatalities and 3,000 serious injuries statewide.”

During the Click It or Ticket campaign, officers will proactively look for anyone in the front seat of a moving motor vehicle who is not buckled up. Particular attention will be paid to pickup trucks, as statistics reflect that drivers of these vehicles frequently fail to comply with safety belt laws. Vehicles with children will also be observed more closely.

“We simply do not want to see any members of our campus community, regardless of age, injured or killed in a traffic accident where the injury or death could have been prevented by simply being buckled up,” Davis said. “Issuing citations to those individuals not in compliance with this law is our way saying that we care.”

Mike Emery
memery@central.uh.edu