St. Joseph County officers will be keeping an eye out for those not wearing their seatbelts this month.

More than 250 police departments are increasing their patrols as part of the national Click It or Ticket campaign, and will be working overtime to reduce motor vehicle deaths and injuries in Indiana.

The patrols are supported with National Highway Traffic Safety Administration funds provided by the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute.

Unrestricted motorists accounted for more than half all of vehicle fatalities in 2019, according to data from the criminal justice institute.

Additionally, individuals not buckled up in crashes were three times more likely to get injured when the driver was speeding and seven times more likely when the driver was impaired.

Indiana has a primary seat belt law, which allows law enforcement officers to stop and cite drivers and passengers for failing to wear a seat belt. Drivers can also be cited for each unbuckled passenger under the age of 16.