Seatbelt Safety

    Two lives changed differently by what they did in the car. Lincoln police officer Ted Blaum was killed Saturday when his car crashed. He wasn't wearing his seatbelt.
    In a different accident two months ago, a 16 year old girl survived because police say she was buckled up. With the Memorial holiday approaching, officers want to make sure you celebrate the holiday safely. They hope one woman's story will make you think twice the next time you get behind the wheel.
    March second started like any other day. Sixteen year old Katelin Barker was driving to Mahomet Seymour High School, but things changed quickly. "I was in shock I didn't know what was happening, until I was actually rolling upside down," Barker describes.   
    Barker's car slipped on black ice west of Champaign, rolling over, finally stopping in a nearby field. " My car landed on the roof so I had to dig myself out the driver's side window, and climb out." Barker walked away with cuts and scratches. Police say the strap saved her life.
    Now hundreds of cops will be targeting drivers and passengers who are not wearing their seatbelts. It's part of the "Click It or Ticket" campaign. "People tend to think that they're indestructible, invincible and it's not gonna happen to them," says Sargeant Bill Emery of the Illinois State Police; but the truth is " many crashes happen in less than 25 miles  from your house and in town where speeds less than 30 to 35 miles per hour."
  A lesson Barker lived to learn.
  State troopers will be setting up zones not only near the interstate but in rural areas and city streets. Fines for not wearing your seatbelt start at 55 dollars.