(Murfreesboro) If you were traveling across the Walter Hill Bridge between 2:30 and 3:30 Thursday (7/26/2018) afternoon, you may have wondered what the large police presence was. The Rutherford County Sheriffs Office was conducting a "seat belt check", and if the deputies saw that you were wearing restraints--you were waved through.

Corporal Michael Rodgers said, "During this event, cars were slow down, but not be stopped unless a violation was observed."

Motorists saw all of the police cars and called WGNS asking if the sheriff was looking for a criminal in the Walter Hill area or if there was a drowning in the Stones River below the bridge?

In reality, last week Sheriff Mike Fitzhugh announced on WGNS that the seat belt check would be made in Walter Hill.

He noted that six people were not wearing seat belts when they were killed in traffic crashes this year in Rutherford County.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said buckling the seat belt is the single most effective thing drivers and passengers can do to protect themselves in a crash.

"Seat belts are the best defense against impaired, aggressive, and distracted drivers," NHTSA stated on its Web site. "Being buckled up during a crash helps keep you safe and secure inside your vehicle. Being completely ejected from a vehicle is almost always deadly."

Corporal Rodgers noted that the safety belt check was a part of the Seat Belts Are for Everyone campaign.

Right now, while you're thinking about it, BUCKLE UP--now only could it save your life, but it's the law in Tennessee!