While many Americans are preparing to travel during the upcoming Memorial Day weekend, law enforcement will be ramping up their seat belt law enforcement efforts.
With overwhelming evidence that seat belts save lives and help prevent serious injuries from automobile crashes, Texas’ Click It or Ticket campaign has had over 10 years of success.
Since 2002, law enforcement officers have spent two weeks around Memorial Day targeting drivers and their passengers who are not wearing their seat belts. Violators can face up to a $250 fine. Since the campaign began, seat belt use in Texas has reached record levels.
According to Katie Womack, a senior research scientist in the Texas A&M Transportation Institute’s Center for Transportation Safety, the success of the campaign is clear when considering the seat belt usage rate has risen from 76 percent in 2002 to 94 percent in 2012.
“After over 10 years of Click It or Ticket, we’ve seen firsthand that the message is working,” Womack says. “Each year we measure progress with regard to seat belt use in Texas. The numbers show that Click It Or Ticket campaign is a major factor in motivating people throughout the state to use their seat belts. ”
Related Article: Safety-Belt Use at All-Time High in Texas
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