Sebring residents reminded to 'click it or ticket'

Not wearing a seat belt? You could find yourself with an added expense.

The Sebring Police Department is joining hundreds of other law enforcement agencies in the "Click It or Ticket" campaign, which runs through March 15.

"With 30 percent of traffic fatalities due to Floridians failing to buckle up regularly, it's clear that far too many people still don't take the safety belt law seriously," Sebring Police Chief Tom Dettman said.

"The unbuckled rate is especially high, and the fatal crash rate increases significantly at night. So look for us to be out on the streets both day and night in March making sure that everyone is buckled up," he added.

According to 2009 data from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, 2,983 people were killed in motor vehicle-related crashes, according to an SPD press release. Of those deaths, 1,795 individuals were either drivers or passengers in safety belt equipped vehicles.

Sixty percent of them were not wearing a safety belt.

Avon Park Police Sgt. Jacob Bratten was reportedly not wearing a seat belt last Tuesday when he was involved in a two-vehicle crash in Winter Haven while on his way to work. He was transferred to Lakeland Regional Medical Center in critical condition. Doctors eventually had to remove his left leg.

Increased law enforcement activities, including seat belt checkpoints, will be conducted nationwide during the 2010 "Click It or Ticket" campaign.

"Worn correctly, seat belts have proven to reduce the risk of fatal injury in a crash by 45 percent for front-seat passenger vehicle occupants and by 60 percent in pickup trucks, SUVs and minivans," Dettman said.