The Crystal Lake Police Department is reminding residents to fasten their seat belts over the Thanksgiving holiday period, or run the risk of receiving a ticket.



The department will be conducting additional seatbelt enforcement efforts beginning Nov. 18 and ending Dec. 1.



As of Jan. 1, 2012, everyone, no matter the age or seating position, is required to wear a safety belt. Nighttime drivers and passengers continue to be among those least likely to wear safety belts. Consequently, they are also among those most likely to die in motor vehicle crashes.



Illinois has a 93.6 percent daytime safety belt usage rate. However, far too many drivers and passengers still do not buckle up, according to a Crystal Lake Police Department news release.



In Illinois, during the Thanksgiving holiday period for 2011, eight car occupants died in motor vehicle traffic crashes- four of those deaths involved a drunken driver and over 800 individuals were injured, police said.



Seat belt use is the single most effective way to protect people and reduce fatalities in motor vehicle crashes, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).



Research has shown that when lap and shoulder belts are used properly, the risk of fatal injury to front seat passenger car occupants is reduced by 45 percent, and the risk of moderate to serious injury is reduced by 50 percent, police said.



For more information about the Click It or Ticket and the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over statewide campaigns, please visit www.buckleupillinois.org.





Source: Crystal Lake Police Department