FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 21, 2020 CONTACT: Assistant Chief Kim Tomlin No Warnings. No Excuses. Click It or Ticket. May 18, 2020 through May 30, 2020

As the summer season begins and families set out on their travels across Arkansas, Hope Police Department officers are sending a clear message to motorists, Click It or Ticket.  Seat belt laws are enforced to protect drivers and their passengers from unnecessary injuries and death.   A state seat belt enforcement campaign begins May 18th and continues through May 30, 2020, this coincides with one of the busiest travel and holiday weekends each year.   “Our law enforcement officers see firsthand the loss of life and trauma when people refuse to buckle up,” said Kim Tomlin, Assistant Chief of Police.  “It’s such a simple step, buckling up, when you first sit down inside a car or truck, it should be second nature.”  National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) analysis from 2018 documented 9,778 unbuckled passenger vehicle occupants killed in crashes on U.S. roads.  That same year, 56 percent of passenger vehicle occupants killed at night (6 AM - 5:59 AM) were not wearing seat belts.  The statistical study has led law enforcement agencies to place additional emphasis on nighttime seat belt enforcement.  Participating law enforcement agencies are taking a no-excuses approach to seat belt law enforcement, whether a violator is stopped day or night.      Arkansas law requires that all front seat passengers, not just drivers, be buckled up.  It requires all children under fifteen years of age to be properly secured in the vehicle.  A child who is less than six years of age and who weighs less than sixty pounds should be restrained in a child passenger safety seat. If the driver has a restricted license, all passengers in the vehicle must be properly buckled up.