To limit the number of fatal car accidents, local police will increase patrols and educational efforts as part the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation's Click It or Ticket campaign throughout May.

To promote the awareness campaign, police officers and PennDOT District 12 spokes-man Jay Offsanik visited Delmont to talk about the seat belt safety Friday.

In 2007, 50 people died in Westmoreland County car crashes. Of those, 21 of the victims were not wearing their seat belts, Offsanik said.

Washington Township police Chief Scott Slagel said some of those deaths could have been prevented with seat belts.

Slagel speaks from experience -- he survived a head-on collision in October of 2007, and he credits his seat belt with saving his life.

"The combined speed of the two cars was over 100 miles an hour," he said of the accident. "I walked away with just blood on my finger."

The other driver, who wasn't wearing his seat belt wasn't so lucky. Slagel said the driver was thrown through his windshield and was hospitalized for an extended period of time.

The main function of the seat belt is to keep drivers in the "survival space," which is the area between the air bag and the seat, Offsanik said. In 2007, 87 percent of drivers involved in accidents remained in the survival space, he said.

"If we can get that number to 88 percent, then there would be 10 to 15 people each year that might not have to die," he said.

To reach that goal, Penn-DOT has created three education programs. "Back is Where it's At" is taught in elementary schools, and "Survival 101" and "16 minutes" both are taught to high school students by a uniformed officer.

The programs appear to be working. In 2000, only 69 percent of Pennsylvania motorists wore seat belts, Offsanik said.

State law requires all front-seat passengers to wear a seat belt. Everyone under the age of 18 must either wear a seat belt or be in a child seat, regardless of where they sit.

These are all secondary laws, meaning a driver must be pulled over for something else to get a ticket.

During Click It or Ticket, drivers can expect to see orange signs that read "Seat Belt Enforcement Ahead."

Because police can't pull over motorists for not wearing a seat belt, Slagel said, the main goal of Click It or Ticket is to increase seat belt awareness for older drivers.

Slagel said most of the drivers that he tickets for not wearing a seat belt are between the ages of 35 and 50.

"It's not only a problem with young people," Slagel said. "In fact, my kids are screaming at me to wear my seat belt."

Delmont police Chief T.J. Klobucar said he has seen the number of fatal accidents in his area dwindle over the last couple years. He is responsible for patrolling Route 66.

"This week, we are going to have extra officers on the street and roving seat belt checks," Klobucar said.

Motorists who are pulled over and found to not be wearing a seat belt can be fined between $60 to $100.

But Slagel, Klobucar, Offsanik and the rest of local law enforcement do not want your $100. They want to see drivers in their cars, not lying on the pavement after an accident.

"Seat belts do save lives," Slagel said. "And I can tell you that from firsthand experience."