The Click It or Ticket campaign is now underway for the extended Thanksgiving holiday period and will be in effect through Sunday, Nov. 28.
During Click It or Ticket enforcement and education campaigns, law enforcement agencies increase the number of patrols and officers in an area, set up checking stations, and use local media to reach out to drivers.
The campaign, which runs from Monday, Nov. 22-Sunday, Nov. 28, aims to encourage motorists to buckle up through innovative and extensive enforcement and education, including seatbelt checks in all North Carolina counties.
Lack of seatbelt use is a primary contributor to fatalities and injuries in vehicle crashes. In 2021 in North Carolina, 450 people have died and 926 have been seriously injured in unbuckled crashes, according to information from the Governor’s Highway Safety Program.
Of course, wearing seatbelts is the law. Violators of North Carolina’s seat belt law are fined $180 (or $266 if a passenger under age 16 is not properly restrained). That doesn’t include the potential cost of a lost life.
“The simple act of buckling your seatbelt in the front and back seats can drastically improve your chances of surviving a car crash without injury or death,” said Governor’s Highway Safety Program Director Mark Ezzell. “With many more motorists traveling for the holidays, it’s imperative that we all do our parts to keep ourselves, our passengers and others safe on the roads.”
North Carolina’s Click It or Ticket campaign was the first in the nation and is now used as the model by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Even with its success, more than 11,900 people have lost their lives since 1993 because they did not take a couple of seconds to buckle up.
Some other ways motorists can drive safely this holiday season include:
- Buckling up – every seat, every time.
- Obey all speed limits.
- Never drive impaired, tired or distracted.
For more safety tips, follow @NCGHSP on Facebook and @NC_GHSP on Twitter and Instagram. For more information, visit www.ncghsp.org.