“CLICK IT OR TICKET” CAMPAIGN TO BEGIN MAY 20TH
Law enforcement officers across the state will soon begin cracking down on drivers who don’t wear their seat belts.
TxDOT’s annual “Click It or Ticket” campaign is set to start May 20th, and will run through June 2nd.
State law requires drivers and all passengers to be secured by a seat belt. Unbuckled drivers and passengers, even those in the back seat, will be ticketed and could face fines and court costs up to $200.
Children younger than 8 must be restrained in a child safety seat or booster seat, unless they are taller than 4’9”. If they are not properly restrained, the driver faces fines of up to $250.
Buckling up not only protects motorists from having to pay expensive citations, it also saves lives. Statistics from TxDOT show wearing a seat belt reduces the risk of dying in a crash by 45 percent, jumping to 60 percent for passengers in pickup truck crashes. Last year, 982 people who were not buckled up died in crashes on Texas streets and highways, an increase of 6 percent from 2017.
However, seat belt usage in Texas continues to lag, especially during the nighttime hours (6 p.m. – 5:59 a.m.), even though that’s when nearly 60 percent of fatal crashes occur.
To learn more, visit www.texasclickitorticket.com.