Wakulla County Sheriff’s Office School Resource Officers are working with Wakulla High School students to raise awareness of the importance of wearing a seatbelt. The activities coincide with the statewide Click It or Ticket Florida campaign.

Law enforcement officials are renewing a pledge to save lives by intensifying efforts to enforce seatbelt laws during the campaign, which began March 1 and continues until March 15.

According to 2008 data from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, 2,983 individuals were killed in motor vehicle related crashes. Of these traffic deaths, 1,795 individuals were either drivers or passengers in safety belt equipped vehicles. Sixty percent of the people killed, 1,085, were not wearing a seatbelt. In addition, 68 percent of children from birth to 17 years old killed in traffic crashes were not using safety equipment.

“With 30 percent of traffic fatalities due to Floridians failing to buckle up regularly, it’s clear that far too many people still don’t take the safety belt law seriously,” said Sheriff David Harvey. “The unbuckled rate is especially high?and the fatal crash rate increases significantly at night. So look for us to be out on the streets both day and night in March making sure that everyone is buckled up.”

At Wakulla High School, the School Resource Officers (SRO) and the traffic unit have been getting the message across to WHS students. Students are checked everyday in the parking lot to make sure they are wearing their belts. The SROs also work to keep things safe within the bus loading area.

Message boards have been erected on U.S. Highway 98 at the WHS school zone. The message is a thank you to motorists who are wearing their seatbelts. The Wakulla County School Board is also part of the campaign.

During investigation of a recent multi-vehicle car accident involving WHS students several of the students were not wearing seatbelts at the time of the accident, according to investigators. Nobody was killed in the crash on U.S. Highway 319 near Medart. Everyone within a vehicle is required to wear a seatbelt.

The process of getting more than 1,000 students safely in and out of the Medart facility can be daunting, but the presence of the SROs and the flashing speed limit signs along the highway limit the danger.

Captain Billy Jones leads the WCSO Traffic Unit. He added that students must learn the message of seatbelt usage and traffic safety while they are still young drivers. The students seem to understand that the traffic unit is reminding them about safety issues because they care about Wakulla High School students and don’t want anyone to get hurt.