'Click It Or Ticket' campaign starts today

Motorists who refuse to wear seat belts are in for a rude awakening this week.

The 2012 National Click It or Ticket seat belt enforcement mobilization program starts today to help save lives by cracking down on those who don’t buckle up.

The Sarasota Police Department is joining with other state and local law enforcement officers and highway safety advocates across the country by strongly enforcing seat belt laws.

“You have too much to lose if you don’t buckle up, said Sarasota Police Chief Mikel Hollaway, in a news release. “Using a seat belt will halve your chances of being killed or badly injured in a serious crash, and using the proper age-appropriate car seat in a passenger car will reduce your infant’s chance of fatal injury by 71 percent and your toddler’s by 54 percent.”

There will be zero tolerance for violations. A ticket for a seat belt violation is $116; a child restraint violation is a $166 fine and a moving violation against the vehicle driver (points on your license).

Contact Kurt Schultheis at [email protected].