A coalition of about 122 law enforcement agencies in the state announced plans Monday to increase citations during the next two weeks for drivers who don?t wear seat belts.
In a news conference Monday, officials said the goal of Maryland?s “Click It or Ticket” campaign is to get the estimated 450,000 Marylanders who don?t wear seat belts to buckle up.
During the next two weeks, police officers will conduct more than 100 checkpoints for safety belts.
“If you are not wearing a seat belt, you can be sure one of us will stop you and cite you,” said Lt. Col. Michael Fischer, commander of the field operations bureau for the Maryland State Police.
Police officers don?t have to meet quotas during the initiative, but they generally wind up giving more citations, said Barbara Beckett, spokeswoman for the Maryland Committee for Safety Belt Use.
During last year?s two-month long targeted enforcement, which lasted from April through May, about 55,000 tickets were distributed, Beckett said.
This year, police officers will pay special attention to pickup truck drivers, who, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, consistently have the lowest safety belt usage of any drivers.
According to the NHTSA, only 70 percent of pickup truck drivers use seat belts, compared to 81 percent in passenger cars.
“Because its a bigger vehicle, a lot of people think they don?t need protection,” Beckett said.
