Mississippi law enforcement stepping up seat-belt awareness
GULFPORT, Miss. (AP) – Police, sheriff’s deputies and state troopers across South Mississippi have taken a unified stand to educate motorists about the importance of wearing a seat belt.
The Sun Herald reports they are focusing on seat-belt safety education this month and will beef up patrols for seat-belt checks from Monday through June 5. The patrols, which will include safety checkpoints, are part of a nationwide Click It Or Ticket campaign.
Authorities announced their plans Wednesday.
The efforts also are in response to statistics that show the Memorial Day weekend is the deadliest weekend nationwide for lives lost in traffic crashes.
Twyla Jennings of the Mississippi Office of Highway Safety says crashes statewide claimed 677 lives last year. Of those, 313 who died, or 56.2 percent, were unrestrained.
