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In an effort to publicize seat belt safety and prevent car crash fatalities, university police are enforcing the use of seat belts more strictly this month.

Though the seat belt law is enforced year round, from May 24 to June 6 UCPD will be especially on the lookout for drivers who do not wear their safety belts.

UCPD will also be conducting saturation patrols, meaning that there will be more officers in high-traffic areas.

UCPD crime prevention officer Robert Sadeh, says officers will not hesitate to give any violators tickets, and they will accept no excuses.

UCPD is not the only law enforcement agency stepping up the enforcement of seat belt laws. These efforts are part of a national campaign named “Click it or Ticket,” in which more than 13,000 law enforcement agencies from all 50 states participate.

There are several dynamics to this annual, two week campaign. Not only will officers be giving out more tickets, but a federally funded media campaign is being used to make the public more aware about the need for safety belts. The media campaign includes ads in television, newspapers and radio, as well as fliers and other publications.

UCPD and other national law enforcement agencies hope that stricter enforcement of state seat belt laws, combined with heightened awareness through the media, will encourage drivers and passengers to buckle up when they are in a vehicle.

The “Click it or Ticket” campaign was created to emphasize to teenagers and young adults the need for vehicle safety. The campaign targets this group due to their lack of experience behind the wheel, risk-taking and low average of seat belt usage, which combine to make them especially susceptible to vehicle-related fatalities.

Though California has one of the best seat belt usage averages in the nation, with an average of 91 percent of drivers wearing seat belts, the state also faces a large number of young motorist fatalities each year.

According to “Click it or Ticket” publications, more than 500 16 to 20-year-olds were killed in vehicle crashes in California in 2003. An additional 238 suffered incapacitating injuries. Of these accidents, 49 percent of the motorists were not wearing seat belts.

Some students still remain skeptical of the effectiveness of the campaign. Behrooz Namdari, a third-year psychobiology student, said there is more that could be done.

“Law enforcement officials could do more to increase awareness for seat belt use by maybe publicizing it more than for just two weeks. I do not think that increased publication for only two weeks is sufficient,” he said.

But Sadeh pointed out that there have been great improvements in seat belt use due to the enforcement of the “Click it or Ticket” campaign. In the months after the 2003 campaign, the national average of seat belt usage rose from 75 percent to 79 percent.

Sadeh said he hopes the increased enforcement will encourage students to buckle up. Sadeh emphasized that UCPD does not gain anything from writing more tickets. The goal is to save lives and prevent injuries that could be avoided simply by using seat belts, he said.

“If a ticket will save a person from a trip to the emergency room, then it is well worth it,” he said.