CLICK IT OR TICKET:

Not only is it the law, but seat belt use saves thousands of lives across the country every year. To reinforce that life-saving safety message, Volusia County Sheriff’s deputies will be beefing up traffic enforcement as part of a Click It or Ticket safety campaign that kicked off this week.

The national campaign got under way on Monday and will continue through the Memorial Day holiday — traditionally, a busy, extended weekend on the nation’s roadways. “These special enforcement operations are all about changing habits, saving lives and making the roads safer for all of us,” said Volusia County Sheriff Ben Johnson. “Our deputies along with other law enforcement officers will be out in force, and they won’t be accepting any excuses for not buckling up.”

In 2012 seat belts saved an estimated 12,174 people from dying. From 2008 to 2012 seat belts saved nearly 63,000 live, according to statistics compiled by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Wearing a seat belt is a serious issue. For the first time in five years, fatalities for unrestrained passenger vehicle occupants have gone up. In 2012, there were 10,335 unbuckled passenger vehicle occupants who died. Because of these fatalities, deputies are stepping up enforcement and cracking down on those who don’t wear their seat belts. “Seat belts save lives. There’s absolutely no reason not to wear them,” added Sheriff Johnson.”

The Click It or Ticket enforcement campaign will continue through June 1.

DRIVE SOBER OR GET PULLED OVER:

Drive sober or get pulled over: It’s that simple.

Beginning Friday, motors deputies with the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office will be cracking down on drunk drivers during the Memorial Day weekend. “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” is designed to raise awareness about the dangers of drinking and driving through high-visibility enforcement.

“Drunk driving is among the deadliest and most devastating crimes of all,” said Sergeant Jim Whittet, supervisor of the Sheriff’s Office’s countywide motors unit. “But it’s also one of the most preventable. Residents need to make good, responsible choices and use a designated driver if they plan to drink. To do otherwise is endangering themselves and everyone else on the roadways.”

During the upcoming enforcement campaign, participating deputies will be assigned to saturation patrols with a primary emphasis on enforcing Florida’s impaired driving laws. Deputies will use both marked and unmarked patrol vehicles. Impaired drivers face jail time, loss of their driver’s license as well as financial consequences such as higher insurance rates, attorney fees, court costs and lost time at work.

According to 2012 national crash data, there was a drunk driving death on the average of every 51 minutes in the United States — or nearly 10,000 every year. And the FBI reports that in 2012, there were more than 1.2 million DUI arrests in the country.

“These are shameful statistics that must be reduced,” said Sergeant Whittet. “Strict enforcement saves lives, and our deputies will be out in force along with officers from other agencies doing just that. If you drink and drive, you can expect to get caught.”