Hiram – On May 18th The Hiram Police Department kicked off the 2103 “Click it or Ticket” seat belt campaign which runs through June 2nd. Motorists were approached at the intersection of Garfield Rd. and Wakefield Rd., all persons in the vehicles that were buckled up were given a voucher for a free ice cream cone at Garrettsville McDonald’s. Motorists and passengers that were not buckled up were provided informative literature and materials detailing the safety benefit of wearing a seat belt. Approximately 800 ice cream vouchers were handed out in the 2 hour timeframe of the kickoff event. Wendy of Golden Girls Landscaping donated 1,000 “Hug Your Heart” magnets that were also distributed to motorists at the event. “I am very thankful that Golden Girls has partnered with Hiram PD to help to spread the word of the benefits of wearing seat belts” Chief Ed Samec said. “They initiated the idea and wanted to do their part to give back to the community. Rick Patrick of Village Motors donated a vehicle for display at the kickoff event.” Hiram PD officers will be strictly enforcing traffic laws and saturation patrols will be in effect during the 2013 “Click it or Ticket” National Campaign. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2010 nationally, 61 percent of the 10,647 passenger vehicle occupants who were killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes overnight (6 p.m. to 5:59 a.m.) were not wearing their seat belts at the time of the fatal crash, compared to 42 percent during the daytime hours.
“Too many drivers and passengers on the road at night are not wearing their seat belts, and it all too often ends in tragedy,” said Chief Ed Samec. “Our goal is to save more lives, so Hiram Police Department will be out enforcing seat belt laws around the clock.”
