If there is one thing I could urge all motorists - drivers, passengers, front seat, back seat, all ages - to do every time you get in a vehicle, it's buckle up.

It is the single most effective way to avoid being killed in a crash. Would you ever ride a roller coaster without the harness down? Would you ever skydive without a parachute? When you ride in a motor vehicle without a seat belt, you are taking a huge risk. One you can't afford. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2013, there were 9,580 unbelted vehicle occupants killed in crashes on our nation's roads.

This May 18 to 31, the Southern Ute Police Department is joining NHTSA and law enforcement agencies nationwide for the 2015 Click It or Ticket enforcement mobilization. We will be out in full force, cracking down on seat belt violations, issuing citations to anyone caught traveling without a buckled seat belt or transporting unrestrained children. We are determined to get the message across: Seat belts save lives. In fact, from 2008 to 2012, they saved nearly 63,000 lives. And in 2012, an additional 3,031 lives could have been saved if all unrestrained occupants involved in fatal crashes had worn their seat belts.

We've found in the past that May is a very effective time to ramp up seat belt enforcement efforts. Many motorists travel over Memorial Day weekend, which kicks off the busy summer travel season. It's the perfect time to remind everyone why seat belt use is required by law. And we want people to know: we're not cracking down to write tickets. We're doing it to save lives.