You might have seen Amber alert signs flashing "Click-it or Ticket-it" across the nation's highways. This week, the "Click it or Ticket" seatbelt enforcement campaign has been running in full-force and will continue to be in effect until June 3rd. So Buckle Up, America!
"The annual Click It or Ticket campaign has helped increase seat belt use for over a decade, but despite these gains, too many of our family and friends continue to die on our roadways," said NHTSA's Administrator Nicole R. Nason. "Not wearing your seat belt, day or night, is a huge and unnecessary gamble."
The campaign coincides with the nation's busiest vacation travel season to help encourage travelers to think right and protect themselves. Extra law enforcement officers around the nation are on the look-out for violators on what is called one of the deadliest travel seasons.
Even Governor Jon Corzine has put out a public announcement after he was found not wearing a seatbelt in a recent SUV rollover that almost took his life.
Your seatbelt should be a way of life and not an inconvenience. It takes 2 seconds to snap in and it's for the safety of your life. Please buckle-up every time you're in a vehicle.
Quick Facts
- Motor vehicle-related injuries kill more children and young adults in the age group 1 to 34 than any other single cause in the United States (CDC 2006).
- In 2005, 31,415 occupants of passenger cars and light trucks died in motor vehicle crashes in the United States. This includes 1,617 children ages 15 years and younger and 4,899 people ages 16 to 20 years (NHTSA 2006).
- More than half the people killed in motor vehicle crashes in 2005 were not wearing safety belts (NHTSA 2006).
- Child safety seats reduce the risk of death in passenger cars by 71% for infants and by 54% for toddlers ages 1 to 4 (NHTSA 2006).
- For children ages 4 to 7, booster seats reduce injury risk by 59% compared to safety belts alone (Durbin 2003).
To learn more about the "Click-it or Ticket-it" campaign
click here!