EASTHAMPTON — This month, Easthampton police will be on the lookout for seatbelt safety as part of the Click It or Ticket campaign.
The Easthampton Police Department, along with the Highway Safety Division and Massachusetts State Police, will increase seat belt enforcement through May 28 in an effort to save lives, according to a press release from Easthampton police.
“There’s a dangerous misconception that you don’t need a seat belt if you’re on a short trip,” said Jeff Larason, director of the Massachusetts Highway Safety Division. “Nothing could be further from the truth. Most crashes happen close to home.”
Larason said that wearing a seat belt is the best way to protect from other drivers’ bad decisions.
As many as 158 police departments across the state could participate in the campaign, working to promote safety in all parts of the commonwealth, the release said.
According to the release, Massachusetts has one of the lowest seat belt use rates in the country. The 2016 Massachusetts annual Safety Belt Observation Study found that Massachusetts drivers wear their seat belts only 74 percent of the time compared to the national average of 90 percent.
According to the press release, 59 percent of the 242 people killed in motor vehicle crashes on Massachusetts roads in 2016 were not wearing seat belts.
“This high-visibility mobilization will promote seat belt use through increased traffic enforcement in an effort to reduce motor vehicle deaths and injuries,” the release stated.
The National Highway Traffic Administration estimates that seat belts saved 115 lives in Massachusetts in 2016 and states that 45 additional deaths could have been prevented by using seat belts 100 percent of the time.
“Always wear your seat belt,” Easthampton police remind residents.
M.J. Tidwell can be reached at mjtidwell@gazettenet.com.