Police plan checks for seat belt offenders

From now through June 1, law enforcement agencies across Central Virginia will be out in force as part of the statewide “Click It or Ticket” campaign.

Members of the Central Virginia Highway Traffic Safety Board set up a checkpoint on the Monacan Bridge on U.S. 29 at lunchtime Thursday.

“It helps set the tone for the weekend,” Amherst County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Greg Turner said. “It helps put an image in people’s minds that if (the police) are here Friday and Saturday, they’re going to be here Monday, too, when I’m on my way back.”

Starting today, local law enforcement will be conducting a blitz on U.S. routes 460, 60 and 29. Turner said the border-to-border enforcement is part of another effort to increase patrols.

While U.S. 60 may not be a high traffic route through the region, he added, drivers tend to take those less-traveled roadways when they’re drunk, yielding DUI arrests.

Drivers can also expect to see a DUI checkpoint over the weekend.

The Central Virginia Highway Traffic Safety Board includes Altavista Police Department, Amherst County Sheriff’s Office, Amherst Police Department, Appomattox County Sheriff’s Office, Bedford City Police Department, Bedford County Sheriff’s Office, Campbell County Sheriff’s Office, Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office, Lynchburg Police Department, Lynchburg City Sheriff’s Office, Price Edward County Sheriff’s Office and the Virginia State Police. Turner said the Pittsylvania County Sheriff’s Office is new to the board this year and a welcome addition.

According to the Virginia Highway Safety Office, motorists are 40 percent less likely to die in a crash if they’re properly using seat belts.