"Click It, Or Ticket" - Unless You're A Cop

We've all seen the ads on mandatory wearing of seat belts: "Click It, Or Ticket" the announcer intones as a county mounty hands out ticket after to ticket to people not wearing their seat belts.

I know this is going to be shocking - but just guess what the most prevalent reason for the rise in police deaths in 2006 over 2005? Police not wearing seat belts and dying in car crashes!

As reported by the Associated Press:

"Fatalities climb 16 percent over 2005; failure to wear seat belts cited

Updated: 6:30 a.m. CT Dec 27, 2006
WASHINGTON - Police officers who can ticket you for not wearing a seat belt sometimes ditch their own restraints, a factor that may have contributed to a double-digit jump this year in law enforcement traffic fatalities, according to a new study."

"The choice may explain the 16 percent increase in officer fatalities in traffic-related crashes this year over 2005, according to the report Wednesday by the Memorial Fund and the Concerns of Police Survivors.

According to preliminary statistics compiled through Monday, traffic fatalities claimed the lives of 73 of the 151 officers killed in 2006. This compares to 63 officers killed in traffic accidents in 2005, the groups said."

I really, really have to keep reminding myself:

"The law only applies to citizens, not cops", "The law only applies to citizens, not cops", The law only applies to citizens, not cops,".............


Nick