Madison County Sheriff's office cracking down on seat belt violations

"I stopped in my lane the next thing I know an 18 wheeler ran into the back of me and I never saw him coming."

Kay Frye was hit by that 18 wheeler almost a year ago. Despite the damage to her car, she survived the wreck with only moderate injuries.

"As hard as the 18 wheeler hit, I feel certain I would have been ejected from the vehicle and had I not have my seatbelt on."

She says it could have been much worse had she not been buckled in.

"The airbags can help cushion but if you don;t have your seat belt on you're going to fly out of the vehicle.Frye's story is one of caution for drivers across West Tennessee to buckle up before they drive."

The Madison County Sheriff's Department is taking a part in the safe or seatbelts are for everyone campaign starting Thursday, February 1st.

Roughly fifty percent of traffic fatalities in the state of Tennessee involve someone who is unbuckled, so something a simple as buckling yourself in could save your life.

"If we're averaging 900 to one thousand fatalities a year and half those people who were unrestrained died, that's a lot of families that wouldn't have to be burying a loved one just for something as clicking your seat belt in."

Sgt. Gill says that the Sheriff's Department will have more deputies on the streets looking for seatbelt violations.

"We have received grants from the Tennessee safety office through nhtsa that allows us to put extra deputies on the street to increase enforcement."

And for Frye, after having her seatbelt save her life, its a no-brainer to keep it on.

"There's no reason to not wear your seatbelt."