Time to buckle up in northeastern PA

Pike among counties with low-seat belt use targeted for enforcement and new advertising campaign HARRISBURG - Pennsylvania is stepping up its fight to get more people to buckle up. Although seat belt usage in Pennsylvania has increased in the last couple of years, one-out-of-every-five Pennsylvanians continues to risk their lives everyday by refusing to wear their seat belts. This means they have a higher risk of being seriously injured, or even killed, in an automobile wreck. “Through the ‘Click It or Ticket’ campaign, we’ve seen seat belt use climb from 74.01 percent in 2003 to 77.27 percent last year in Lackawanna County. We can say without a doubt that the program is saving lives,” said Stephen Shimko, PennDOT District 4 Executive. “Now we’re going after those who feel they might be above the law when they make a conscious decision to not buckle up.” PennDOT is investing funds in Lackawanna, Luzerne, Pike, Susquehanna, Wayne and Wyoming counties, Engineering District 4-0, to step up seat-belt law enforcement through the “Click It or Ticket” program. In addition to this investment, PennDOT is also rolling out an emotional new billboard and radio advertising seat belt campaign in nine counties, including Lackawanna and Luzerne counties. “The message of the campaign is clear -- if you are in a crash and are not wearing your seat belt, chances are you will be seriously injured or killed,” said Shimko. “If you won’t buckle up for yourself then do it for your friends, your parents, your kids or anyone who might have to attend your funeral or push your wheelchair. The people you love will have to live with the consequences of your decision to not wear a seat belt, so we ask that you do it for them.”