BY REBECCA BENNETT — According to the City of Hyattsville, the Hyattsville City Police Department is partnering with the the Maryland Highway Safety Office during the statewide “Click it or Ticket” campaign. The campaign, which runs May 11 through May 31, is “to remind all drivers and passengers about the lifesaving benefits of wearing a seat belt every time you ride in a vehicle, day or night, and in every seat,” the city said.
“Buckling a seat belt literally takes less than three seconds,” said Hyattsville City Police Chief Douglas K. Holland. “As we approach Memorial Day weekend and the summer vacation season, we want to make sure people are doing the one thing that can save them in a crash, buckling up.”
“Using your seat belt is critically important and everyone must be buckled,” said Maryland Vehicle Administration Administrator Milt Chaffee. “Unbelted back seat passengers become deadly projectiles and cause devastating injuries to those in the front seat. Our mission to move Maryland Toward Zero Deaths relies heavily on getting everyone to buckle up every time they get in a vehicle.”
Area police, according to the city, will have “zero tolerance” for seat belt violations, which carry a fine of $83 including court costs.
“There are lives on the line,” Holland said. “Wear your seat belt, drive sober or have a sober ride home, and park your phone before you drive. That’s a combination that everyone can live with.”
