SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – As memorial day drivers keep their eyes on gas prices, the Springfield Police Department has theirs on safe driving.
Springfield PD will continue to enforce their ‘click it or ticket’ campaign through the end of the month. The department was awarded a grant to increase patrols and remind drivers and passengers about the life-saving benefits of wearing a seat belt.
While the state doesn’t have a primary seat belt law for adults, if an adult is pulled over for a ‘primary’ traffic violation and is not wearing a seat belt, they can be fined $25.
Springfield Police Department spokesman Ryan Walsh telling 22News, “When someone is pulled over for a traffic citation, especially if there are kids in car seats or children 13 or under that aren’t buckled in properly, that’s an educational moment.”
According to state data, seat belts saved about just over 60 lives in 2017, and an additional 45 deaths could have been prevented if those individuals had been wearing a safety belt.