Leader Staff
Shawano police and hundreds of other law enforcement agencies in Wisconsin are in the midst of their annual enforcement operation targeting unbuckled drivers and passengers.
The Click It or Ticket effort started Monday and runs through May 31.
“This is the big kickoff of the summer,” Police Chief Mark Kohl said.
The Shawano Police Department received a $20,000 grant from the state that will pay overtime for officers to enforce traffic safety through the summer.
“We’ll be doing that periodically, especially over the holiday periods, having more visible deterrence out there,” Kohl said.
“Right now, our officers normally patrol if they have the time and if they’re in the right location to observe traffic violations,” Kohl said. “With this grant specifically, we can post overtime and have an officer just concentrate on those violations and not get called away for a barking dog or a neighborhood dispute. They’re concentrating specifically on traffic safety enforcement.”
David Pabst, director of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Safety, said that during the Click It or Ticket program whenever law enforcement officers see an unbelted driver or passenger, they will stop the vehicle and issue a citation.
“Their goal is not to write more tickets but to get every driver and passenger to buckle up every time they drive or ride in a vehicle,” Pabst said.
In addition to law enforcement efforts to increase compliance with Wisconsin’s safety belt law, the DOT is using federal funding to broadcast TV, radio and web messages statewide urging everyone to buckle up, day or night and every trip. The messages feature Donald Driver, the Green Bay Packers’ all-time leading receiver.
The DOT will also display a reminder to buckle up on its electronic message signs on major highways from May 21-29.
According to DOT statistics, approximately 85 percent of Wisconsin motorists wear a seat belt, which is an all-time high in the state. However, more than half of the drivers and passengers killed in crashes last year were not buckled up.
“Consistent safety belt use is the single most effective way to protect people from being ejected from a vehicle or thrown around violently inside it during a crash and possibly hitting another vehicle occupant with massive force,” Pabst said. “Vehicles now have tremendous safety features, but these modern high-tech features will only work as designed if the occupants are safely secured with seat belts.”