Arlington Police Beefing Up Seatbelt Enforcement

ARLINGTON, MA — The Arlington Police Department was awarded a grant from the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security to increase the number of seatbelt patrols. The department will join other law enforcement agencies across the state in the national Click It or Ticket enforcement campaign.

"Seat belts are the single most important safety item in our vehicles," Police Chief Juliann Flaherty said in a statement. "We see firsthand the devastating consequences of drivers and their passengers not buckling up. These funds will increase our traffic enforcement presence to help end these preventable tragedies."

The state's seatbelt use rate is consistently lower than the national average, ranking 45th in the 2019 seat belt observational study. Over 1.2 million Massachusetts residents do not regularly buckle up, putting the state at 86.1 percent use versus the national rate of 90.7 percent.

In Massachusetts, a larger percentage of pickup truck fatalities – 71 percent – and SUV fatalities – 65 percent – are unrestrained compared to passenger cars at 60 percent. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, seat belts saved an estimated 61 lives in Massachusetts in 2018.

For more information on the Municipal Road Safety and distracted driving enforcement grant program, visit www.mass.gov/service-details/traffic-safety-grants.