# That "Click It Or Ticket" Public Service Announcement? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 24, 2012, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-click-it-or-ticket-public-service-announcement/623001 "2012-05-24T20:43:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2012, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-click-it-or-ticket-public-service-announcement/623001/21 "2012-05-27T02:54:05Z")
I’d guess the training is “if you see the driver reach over his left shoulder as you pull him over, he’s trying to get his seat belt on”. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2012, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-click-it-or-ticket-public-service-announcement/623001/22 "2012-05-28T03:04:25Z")
I used to have a 79 International Harvester Scout, which came with lap belts only [because there were 3 top options, pickup truck style, SUV style and ragtop, so it did not have a post behind the front seats to hook a shoulder belt to.] I would get stopped because cops didn’t see any shoulder belt. Lap belts count as seat belts so they couldn’t ticket me. :rolleyes: [in the summer I would pop the SUV style roof that mine had off and just toss a tarp over it if it looked like rain. My dogs loved it when I took them for rides.] ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2012, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-click-it-or-ticket-public-service-announcement/623001/23 "2012-05-28T18:14:52Z")
> [@Kimballkid](#): > > Time to eat crow. I guess it’s still a secondary offense as the bill to make it a primary offense died in committee in 2009. It’s still a secondary offense here in WV too, but they still run the stupid commercials. Last year, I deliberately took my seatbelt OFF (because these checkpoints piss me off) when approaching a checkpoint just to see what would happen. The cop very smartassedly told me that he was conducting a seat belt checkpoint and I just got CAUGHT! Pull over.. After running my plate, he lectured me about seat belt safety, but then told me that since a seat belt violation was a secondary offense, he was letting me go with a “warning”. So much for the “you WILL get a ticket” part. The fact is that according to the statute, you cannot be cited for simply not wearing a seatbelt unless you are pulled over for a suspected violation of another part of the motor vehicle code. Since it was a checkpoint, that doesn’t apply. I think it is just because federal funding applies to this Click It or Ticket nonsense and it is a pre-text to cite a person for other violations like DUI. I wonder if anyone has challenged a Click it or Ticket roadblock (when they get tagged for a DUI let’s say) on the grounds that such stops are impermissible by state law (in secondary enforcement states). I know that DUI roadblocks have been held to be legal by SCOTUS, but they are subject to strict regulations that may or may not be followed by the seat belt checkpoints. I too hate the commercials as they act like its a father speaking to his 10 year old son order you to wear a seat belt. They make me want to ride on top of the hood of the car with both middle fingers in the air. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2012, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-click-it-or-ticket-public-service-announcement/623001/24 "2012-05-28T18:26:50Z")
> [@BrotherCadfael](#): > > I saw this PSA for the first time today. I noted the claim that police officer are trained to detect non-seatbelt-wearing “even at night”. > > Bull. Shit. The only “training” that I have heard of is to not see the shoulder belt between the driver’s seat and the window. However, several types of cars like the Pontiac Bonneville, have the belt on the driver’s seat, making this method suspect. ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2012, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-click-it-or-ticket-public-service-announcement/623001/25 "2012-05-28T18:36:48Z")
> [@BrotherCadfael](#): > > I saw this PSA for the first time today. I noted the claim that police officer are trained to detect non-seatbelt-wearing “even at night”. > > Bull. Shit. Is it possible that there’s a photo being taken as the car passes by, and the officer can see the image on a screen, assess the seatbelt situation, and then pursue the driver if necessary? Good-quality photos of fast-moving cars are already being taken by speed cameras and red-light cameras - is it possible the technology is now being used for enforcement of seatbelt use? ---
**Author:** ![LilyoftheField](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/13edae/32.png) [@LilyoftheField](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LilyoftheField)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2012, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-click-it-or-ticket-public-service-announcement/623001/26 "2012-05-28T20:43:45Z")
> [@JoelUpchurch](#): > > The statistics are that only 15% of people don’t wear their seat-belts, but over half of the fatalities are for people who are not restrained. Improving seat belt compliance seems fairly cost effective. > > [http://www.cdc.gov/MotorVehicleSafety/pdf/PolicyImpact-SeatBelts.pdf](http://www.cdc.gov/MotorVehicleSafety/pdf/PolicyImpact-SeatBelts.pdf) > > I’ve found passengers that I have to remind to buckle up are usually women. Apparently the strap irritates their breasts. I can believe that seat belt offenders are primarily women - but I don’t think its because of breast irritation, more like neck irritation. I don’t consider myself particularly short - I’m 5’4", but most seat belts tend to hit me at neck level which is very annoying. Granted, a little neck irritation may be a small price to pay to avoid catastrophic injury, but it does tend to make you think…‘oh, hell, I’m just going to the corner store, I don’t need that aggravation!’ And, of course - I’m old - I did not learn to drive with the ‘buckle up’ message ingrained - I’m not sure if most of the cars in my ‘wonder years’ even had seat belts! ---
**Author:** ![JoelUpchurch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f05b48/32.png) [@JoelUpchurch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoelUpchurch)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2012, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-click-it-or-ticket-public-service-announcement/623001/27 "2012-05-28T21:59:26Z")
> [@LilyoftheField](#): > > And, of course - I’m old - I did not learn to drive with the ‘buckle up’ message ingrained - I’m not sure if most of the cars in my ‘wonder years’ even had seat belts! Actually Seat belts go back to the sixties at least. My first car was a 65 Impala and it had seat belts. I don’t think shoulder straps came in until the seventies. The automatic seat belts, where the shoulder strap attached to the door were a pain in the butt. I actually recall having a pad for the shoulder strap in my car on the passenger side. [http://www.amazon.com/Memory-Foam-Shoulder-Black-Color/dp/B001JEIHAG](http://www.amazon.com/Memory-Foam-Shoulder-Black-Color/dp/B001JEIHAG) ---
**Author:** ![Nunzio\_Tavulari](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Nunzio\_Tavulari](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nunzio_Tavulari)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2012, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-click-it-or-ticket-public-service-announcement/623001/28 "2012-05-28T23:50:11Z")
> [@JoelUpchurch](#): > > Actually Seat belts go back to the sixties at least. My first car was a 65 Impala and it had seat belts. I don’t think shoulder straps came in until the seventies. The first manufacturer to list seat belts as standard equipment was Saab in the late Fifties. They were optional through most of the sixties. I don’t think that lap belts were ever mandatory equipment, but the lap-shoulder combo (separate systems) was required starting in 1968. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2012, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-click-it-or-ticket-public-service-announcement/623001/29 "2012-05-28T23:59:33Z")
My dad never wears his seat belt, but always pretends to wear it when he notices a police officer nearby. I hate it and tell him to wear it sometimes, but he doesn’t listen. He thinks that it’s some scam run by the insurance companies and the government… or something. Why yes, my dad is a hardcore libertarian, Ron Paul supporter, how did you guess? ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2012, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-click-it-or-ticket-public-service-announcement/623001/30 "2012-05-29T08:04:27Z")
The only thing I have to say about this ad is that it ran before the second part of a review for Star Trek’s “The Menagerie,” and the first shot was of the injured Captain Pike. “Were you wearing a seatbelt?” (Light Blinks twice.) ---
**Author:** ![ioioio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ioioio/32/316_2.png) [@ioioio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ioioio)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2012, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-click-it-or-ticket-public-service-announcement/623001/31 "2012-05-29T13:24:02Z")
My not-so-bright neighbors do not use seatbelts. When their three kids (now in their 20s) ride in my car, I have to remind them _every single time_ to fasten their seatbelts. Older obese passengers will not / cannot use a seatbelt. I have to hope that the airbag will keep their faces out of the windshield if the situation arises. The point of the PSAs is to raise awareness. The ads are aimed at people who are not using seatbelts, and I’m guessing that those people are not quite as analytical about the message as most posters here. ---
**Author:** ![lawbuff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/13edae/32.png) [@lawbuff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lawbuff)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2012, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-click-it-or-ticket-public-service-announcement/623001/32 "2012-05-29T14:46:47Z")
> [@jtgain](#): > > The fact is that according to the statute, you cannot be cited for simply not wearing a seatbelt unless you are pulled over for a suspected violation of another part of the motor vehicle code. Since it was a checkpoint, that doesn’t apply. Never heard of a seat belt checkpoint. Are you talking about specific roadblocks like DUI and Driver’s License checkpoints or simply an officer standing by traffic observing than radioing ahead on violators? Ohio here permits Driver license checkpoints under authority or Prouse, but I would think if a Drug interdiction checkpoint (case can’t remember off my head) failed constitutional muster, a seatbelt checkpoint would? ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2012, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-click-it-or-ticket-public-service-announcement/623001/33 "2012-05-29T23:44:30Z")
I’ve seen that PSA (in Chicago), and another one that looks like it’s part of the same series. Only it takes the pitch that seat belts make it harder for zombies to pull you out of your car and eat your brains. Definitely has an odd tone! ---
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2012, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-click-it-or-ticket-public-service-announcement/623001/34 "2012-05-30T14:47:43Z")
> [@lawbuff](#): > > Never heard of a seat belt checkpoint. Are you talking about specific roadblocks like DUI and Driver’s License checkpoints or simply an officer standing by traffic observing than radioing ahead on violators? > > Ohio here permits Driver license checkpoints under authority or Prouse, but I would think if a Drug interdiction checkpoint (case can’t remember off my head) failed constitutional muster, a seatbelt checkpoint would? We’ve had them (sorta) in the Northwest suburbs. There’s a spot on Rand Road that goes under Route 53 - one side of the viaduct is Alrington Heights, the other side is Palatine. Last week, there was a police officer who was dressed as one of those intersection donation gatherers (you know what I mean - they sell candy or flowers or are looking for donations for whatever charity) - she’d walk up to cars at the light on the Alr. Hts. side, and ask for “donations”. If the person wasn’t wearing a seatbelt she’d radio to one of the Arl. Hts. motorcycle officers who were right nearby to pull them over - they must have pulled thirty people over for seatbelts over the course of an afternoon - most of them ended up in the bar parking lot getting their tickets. (We were at the bar watching this all happen.) ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2012, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-click-it-or-ticket-public-service-announcement/623001/35 "2012-05-30T17:10:49Z")
How, at night with the headlights shining in his face, could a cop tell if a belt was on? And differentiate between a belt that’s correctly on, and one that’s just over the shoulder? I’m not sure it’s even possible. I hope that’s a public service announcement that’s funded by the broadcasters, because I’d feel a little miffed if taxpayer money was going into something that was just total bullshit, not that that would be unusual. ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2012, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-click-it-or-ticket-public-service-announcement/623001/36 "2012-05-30T17:31:02Z")
I haven’t seen these particular commercials, but can I say that I’m just amazed by people who don’t buckle their seatbelts? Whenever I’m driving somewhere with my boyfriend, the car will inevitably start doing the “PUT YOUR SEATBELT ON, IDIOT!!!” beep. I don’t get it. I mean, for me, it’s an automatic thing, the second I sit down in a car. Perhaps though, this is because I was in a very serious car accident, one where my life was saved by a seatbelt. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-click-it-or-ticket-public-service-announcement/623001.md?page=1)