New Mexico state police joining inter-state seat belt crackdown

The New Mexico State Police will team up Friday, with law enforcement agencies in seven other states in the "Get Your 'Clicks' on Route 66" seat belt crackdown.

The quarterly mobilization began in August 2010 with a handful of law enforcement agencies in central Oklahoma, but now has expanded to include highway patrol troopers, state police officers and other agencies in eight states along the famed "Mother Road."

The crackdown will run for 24 hours, starting Friday from midnight to midnight Saturday.

"We're really excited to be taking part in this important project," said New Mexico State Police Chief Robert Shilling. "Fastening your seat belt and making sure your kids are properly buckled up is such an easy thing to do, and it's the best way to protect yourself in the event of a crash."

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, about 13,000 lives are saved every year by seat belts and child restraints, and motorists are 75 percent less likely to be killed in rollover crashes if they are buckled up.