N.C. Department of Transportation Secretary Conti announced today the launch of a state-wide “Click It or Ticket” campaign to crack down on motorists who are not wearing their seat belts.
State and local law enforcement officers will increase seat belt enforcement activities during the campaign, which runs May 23-June 5.
“This life-saving campaign reminds us to buckle up, every trip, every time,” said Conti. “Wearing a seat belt no matter where you are seated in a vehicle is the law in North Carolina, so I remind all citizens to Click it or Ticket.”
Regular seat belt use is the single most effective way to protect people and reduce fatalities in motor vehicle crashes. In 2010, 425 unbuckled motorists died in North Carolina.
In 2010, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that North Carolina’s seat belt usage rate was 89.7 percent. The state’s usage rate was 65 percent when the program started 18 years ago.