Happy Thanksgiving Now Here’s Your Ticket!

Authorities in Wisconsin said a 21-year-old man called 911 to report himself driving drunk and ask to be taken to jail. The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office said the man called 911 prior to 9 p.m. Sunday and told the dispatcher he was driving drunk and wanted to be arrested. The man complied with the dispatcher’s instructions to pull his vehicle over. Officers found him and granted him his wish. Wile we are talkin DUI lets not forget seatbelts.

During the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday weekend state, county and local police agencies from throughout the Yakima Valley will be stepping up enforcement of seat belt and other traffic safety laws. The Click It or Ticket mobilization will run from November 24th through November 27th.

"Police agencies are joining together this Thanksgiving holiday with one simple goal – to get motorists to buckle up, which will save lives on our roadways," said Michael Witter, Regional Administrator for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. "We want all motorists to arrive at their destinations safely. While law enforcement officials will tell you that issuing tickets is never a pleasant experience, having to notify next of kin following a fatal crash is by far a worse scenario," stated Witter.

In 2009 alone, seat belts saved an estimated 12,713 lives. An additional 3,688 lives could have been saved if seat belts had been worn at the time of the crashes. NHTSA statistics also show that those least likely to buckle up are teens, young adults, males, nighttime riders, motorists traveling on rural roads, and individuals traveling in pickup trucks.

"Wearing a seat belt costs you nothing and may save your life or protect you from a serious, possibly life-altering injury. Not wearing a seat belt, especially during this Thanksgiving period, will definitely cost you a ticket at the very least, and maybe even your life.

"In addition to stepped-up seat belt enforcement, police will also be cracking down on impaired drivers and those driving at excessive speeds.

"Anyone caught speeding will be ticketed, and anyone caught driving impaired will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.