74 cited for not wearing seat belt Friday, sheriff says

Dane County Sheriff's Office uses $10K grant to conduct seat belt enforcement

MADISON, Wis. — Dane County sheriff’s deputies cited more than 100 drivers during a four-hour seat belt enforcement effort Friday, according to a release.

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation has been working with law enforcement to increase seat belt usage in an effort to reduce the number of serious injuries and fatalities that happen in motor vehicle crashes, officials said. The Dane County Sheriff’s Office was awarded a $10,000 grant to conduct seat belt enforcement in 2014.

Friday’s enforcement took place at the intersections of Highway 51 and County Road V in the town of Burke, and Highway 19 and Lake Road in the town of Windsor, according to the release.

Of the 101 traffic citations, 74 were for not wearing a seat belt, deputies said.

Wisconsin lags behind the national average for seat belt usage of 86 percent, according to the release. By increasing seat belt usage by 10 percent, WisDOT officials estimate 44 lives would be saved each year.