The Erie County Sheriff's Office is participating in a national effort beginning Monday to enforce seat belt laws.
Sergeant Eric Kaderli, with the Sheriff's Crash Investigation and Traffic Enforcement Unit, says the latest figures indicate 34 percent of all fatalities involved people who were not wearing seat belts.
"Going to crash scenes and seeing the destruction and damage just at the scene, and then knowing the destruction and damage that's going to happen when I have to go to somebody's house and give them the bad news and seeing that it was something that could have possibly been prevented just by taking the two seconds and buckling your seatbelt, it's not good," says Kaderli. "I hate that part of my job."
Kaderli says sheriffs will have checkpoints set up. Deputies have been informed there will be zero tolerance for those not complying with seat belt laws. He adds a ticket for not wearing your seat belt can cost nearly $200.
The "Click It or Ticket" campaign runs through May 31.