Law enforcement blitz to target unbuckled drivers, passengers

Law enforcement agencies across Indiana are looking for drivers who aren’t using their seat belts, in the national “Click It or Ticket” enforcement blitz organized around Memorial Day weekend

Running through May 31st, the campaign will have extra officers including Seymour and Greensburg police, Bartholomew County deputies and Indiana State Police troopers on overtime patrols making sure drivers and passengers are buckling up and children are properly secure. Participating law enforcement agencies will be taking a zero tolerance approach to seat belt law enforcement, writing citations against offenders.

In Indiana, drivers can be stopped and both drivers and passengers can be cited for lack of seat belt use, but also for each unbuckled passenger under the age of 16. Additionally, children under eight must be properly restrained in a federally approved child or booster seat.

According to a survey conducted by Purdue University Center for Road Safety in partnership with the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute, seat belt usage has increased since 2021, reaching 94.1 percent last year. That is above the national average of 91.2 percent. Indiana has also seen a steady decline in fatalities of passengers not wearing seatbelts.

The overtime patrols are funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration with grants administered by Indiana Criminal Justice Institute.