The Lake City Police Department is joining law enforcement agencies across Florida and the nation for the annual Click It or Ticket campaign, running May 18 through the end of the month.
The effort comes ahead of Memorial Day weekend, which research from the Florida Department of Transportation and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration identifies as one of the deadliest periods of the year for crash injuries and fatalities — many linked to unbuckled drivers.
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LCPD will mobilize its Traffic unit alongside officers working under the Strategic Traffic Enforcement Program, known as STEP, which uses overtime funds provided by FDOT to conduct targeted enforcement in high-priority areas.
Lake City Police Chief Gerald Butler says the campaign is about more than handing out tickets.
“This is not about writing tickets,” Butler said. “It is about saving lives. Unfortunately, sometimes the thought of a citation is the only thing that makes someone buckle up. If that is what it takes, I would rather someone pay a fine than put their lives or the lives of others needlessly at risk.”
Unbelted crashes require longer investigations, more emergency resources, and generate higher medical expenses — straining public services and impacting entire communities.
Crash investigations also record seat belt use as a data point that insurance companies factor into local rate-setting, meaning higher rates of unbuckled drivers can raise insurance costs for everyone in that area.
The Click It or Ticket campaign runs May 18 through May 31.