Press Release

BREMEN — The Indiana State Police Bremen Post, along with other agencies across Indiana, will be increasing patrols as part of the national “Click It or Ticket” enforcement campaign ahead of Memorial Day weekend.

For the next three weeks, officers will be out in full force making sure drivers and passengers are buckled up and children are properly secured.

Their goal is to reduce the number of traffic injuries and fatalities from lack of seat belt use, a continuing concern. Data from the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute (ICJI) shows that unbuckled motorists make up almost 40% of all passenger vehicle deaths in the state.

The overtime patrols are funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) with grants administered by ICJI.

“The goal is not to write a bunch of tickets,” said Lieutenant Chad Larsh, district commander of the ISP Bremen Post. “The goal is for people to buckle up. Seat belts are proven to save lives. Buckle up now because once you are in a crash it is too late.”

Since the “Click It or Ticket” initiative began more than 20 years ago, seat belt use has gone up 30% in Indiana to 92.9%, which is slightly higher than the national average of 90.3%.

Despite making progress and advances in vehicle safety, in 2020, 226 unbuckled vehicle occupants lost their lives on Indiana roads—the second highest in the past decade. Young drivers, especially men, were the least likely to be buckled during a crash.

“We cannot tolerate another deadly year like the one we just had on our roads,” said Devon McDonald, ICJI executive director. “Many of the people we lost would still be alive today had they made the decision to buckle up. Seat belts make a difference. They save lives.”