May 15, 2015
Immediate Press Release
PRESS CONFERENCE
Monday May 18, 2015
10:30 AM
Lake Champlain Transportation, Charlotte/Essex Ferry Crossing
Charlotte, Vermont & Essex, NY
2015 BORDER TO BORDER Click It or Ticket Campaign
As motorists take to the roads this Memorial Day holiday, Vermont law enforcement officers are urging everyone to buckle up. Beginning May 18, 2015, law enforcement officials will be out in full force, taking part in the 2015 national Click It or Ticket seat belt enforcement mobilization and cracking down on motorists who are not belted.
"As we kick-off the busy summer driving season, it is critical that everyone buckles up every time they go out, day and night - no excuses," said Sgt. Allen A Fortin, Shelburne Police Department (Northern CIOT Task Force Leader). "Our officers are prepared to ticket anyone who is not wearing their seat belt, including drivers that have neglected to properly buckle their children. - Please, Click It or Ticket."
At 6:00 p.m. on May 18th, Vermont law enforcement will join law enforcement agencies across the Eastern United States in mobilizing the Click It or Ticket (CIOT) "Border to Border" Operation. Law enforcement agencies will join forces to provide increased seat belt enforcement at state borders, sending a zero tolerance message to the public: driving or riding unbuckled will result in a ticket, no matter what state.
At 10:30 AM on May 18th, , we are holding our press conference announcing this effort on Lake Champlain Transportation's Charlotte ferry, to emphasize regional law enforcement cooperation in this year's "Border to Border" campaign. Vermont Lieutenant Governor Phil Scott and a New York State Senator are scheduled to be join us, along with many other agency partners in this effort. We will load the Vermont law enforcement cruisers on the ferry about 10:30am and then travel to the New York side and load New York law enforcement cruisers. We will then have the press conference in the middle of the lake on the way back to Vermont. This is a symbolic recognition of regional cooperation in the effort to save lives by increasing seat belt use across New England, New York, and beyond.
Also available for comment during and after the press conference will be National Highway Transportation Safety Administration officials Ted Minall and Christine Brittle, Governor's Highway Safety Program Chief Scott Davidson, Vermont and New York State Police representatives, Municipal Police Officers, Sheriff's from both states, and other representatives.
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 9,580 passenger vehicle occupants killed in 2013 were not wearing their seat belts at the time of the crash. And unbelted fatalities are more prevalent at night than during the daytime: 59 percent of those killed in 2013 during the overnight hours of 6 p.m. to 5:59 a.m. unbelted at the time of the crash.
Tragically, these national statistics are mirrored locally. In Vermont, many more unrestrained passenger vehicle occupants were killed at night, compared to those tragedies that occurred during the day.
Seat belts save thousands of lives every year, but far too many motorists are still not buckling up, especially at night when the risk of getting in a crash is even greater. "We want to make this the safest summer possible. Buckling up is not optional; it's the difference between life and death in a crash.
That's why we're out here enforcing the law. Click it or Ticket, every time, day or night", said Scott Davidson, Chief of Vermont's Governor Highway Safety Program.
From 2008 to 2012, seat belts have saved nearly 63,000 lives nationwide. So while this year's Click It or Ticket enforcement mobilization runs from May 18-31, officers will continue to save lives by enforcing seat belt laws year-round.
For more on the national Click It or Ticket mobilization, please visit www.nhtsa.gov<http://www.nhtsa.gov>.
Press contact in Vermont:
Tom Fields, Law Enforcement Liaison, South, 1-802-375-5913 Tom.Fields@partner.state.vt.us<mailto:Tom.Fields@partner.state.vt.us>
John Filipek, Law Enforcement Liaison, North, 1-802-324-6240 John.Filipek@partner.state.vt.us<mailto:John.Filipek@partner.state.vt.us>
Sergeant Allen Fortin, Shelburne Police Department 1-802-264-5051 Allen.Fortin@state.vt.us<mailto:Allen.Fortin@state.vt.us>
Press contact in New York:
Trooper Jennifer Fleishman
1-518-897-2061
Email: BPIO@troopers.ny.gov<mailto:BPIO@troopers.ny.gov>
Scott Davidson, Chief
Vermont Governor's Highway Safety Program
Vermont Agency of Transportation
One National Life Drive
Montpelier, Vt. 06533
Vermont Department of Public Safety | Vermont State Police
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