‘Click It or Ticket’ seatbelt safety campaign begins

TYLER – With Memorial Day weekend here, Texas launched it’s annual “Click It or Ticket” seatbelt safety campaign on Monday. According to our news partner KETK, the Texas Department of Transportation and the Department of Public Safety held press conference in front of a “Click it or Ticket” monster truck and was attended attended by many in the East Texas law enforcement community.

Heather Singleton, a DPS traffic safety specialist said at the launch event, “A lot of people don’t really understand the severity of not wearing a seatbelt. And that’s why we have these campaigns that include education, along with the enforcement officers who are out doing this enforcement beginning today. They’re going to be educating drivers that they speak with as well.”

A TxDOT press release had some statistics for those wearing seatbelts. Having a seat belt on will decrease your risk of dying by 45% if you’re in the front seat of a passenger car and if you’re in a pick up truck it will decrease your risk of death by 60%. Not wearing a seatbelt could cost drivers up to $200 and if people are driving with any unbuckled child under 8 years old, it could cost them up to $250.

In Texas last year, 1,183 people who didn’t wear a seatbelt died in crashes.