Posted Thursday, May 17, 2012 --- 2:49 p.m.

Press Release from the WisDOT Bureau of Transportation Safety:

You likely will see more law enforcement officers on patrol—both day and night—beginning Monday (May 21) through June 3 for the annual Click It or Ticket safety belt enforcement mobilization. Nearly 400 law enforcement agencies throughout Wisconsin will have more officers patrolling for longer hours to crackdown on unbuckled drivers and passengers.

"Click It or Ticket is more than just a slogan for law enforcement agencies. Whenever officers observe an unbelted motorist, they will stop the vehicle and issue a citation," says Wisconsin State Patrol Maj. Sandra Huxtable, director of the Bureau of Transportation Safety. "Last year in Wisconsin, there were nearly 85,000 convictions for failure to fasten safety belts. Among all traffic violations, safety belt convictions in Wisconsin were second only to speeding convictions."

According to Major Huxtable, traffic deaths in Wisconsin so far this year have increased compared with the same time last year. And in many recent fatal crashes, the drivers and passengers may have survived if they had been 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," she says. "Our goal during Click It or Ticket and throughout the year is not to write more tickets. Through enforcement and education, we’re trying to convince everyone to buckle up voluntarily so that ultimately we can reduce the number of preventable traffic deaths to zero in Wisconsin. We all must do our part, and that starts by buckling up every trip, every time."