One out of five motorists in Florida does not wear a seat belt while driving, state highway officials said at a news conference Monday in Panama City.
And those folks could end up a few dollars lighter starting next week.
Law enforcement officers from across the Panhandle gathered at the Panama City Marina to announce the plan to start handing out tickets May 19 as part of the annual Click It or Ticket campaign.
Citing a failure to buckle up as the cause of 1,300 traffic-related deaths in 2006, officers pledged a zero-tolerance policy during the two-week push.
“Wearing your safety belt is easy and costs nothing,” said Maj. Eddie Johnson Jr. with the Florida Highway Patrol. “Not wearing your safety belt can cost you a ticket, or even your life.”
A seat belt ticket runs $70.50 for adults and $117.50 for any unrestrained driver or passenger under 18.
With about 79 percent of drivers using seat belts, Florida ranked 35th in the nation last year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration.
Among the 2006 fatalities attributed to a lack of seat belt use, Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles records show 13 were in Bay County.
The ticket campaign is designed to increase the number of Florida motorists wearing their belts, hopefully raising it to at least 85 percent, officials said.
“There’s no valid reason not to buckle up,” said Capt. Robert Colbert, patrol division commander for the Panama City Police Department.