A new campaign has been launched urging Americans to buckle up ahead of Memorial Day and the summer travel season.
The US Transportation Department’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has announced its Click It or Ticket initiative which runs until May 31.
According to the NHTSA, unbuckled seatbelts accounted for a death in a passenger vehicle every 54 minutes in 2024.
“Buckling up only takes a second, and that second could be the difference between life or death in a crash,” said NHTSA Administrator Jonathan Morrison.
“We’re teaming up with law enforcement agencies nationwide to remind everyone to Click It or Ticket. Enforcing state and local seat belt laws will save countless lives.”
State and local law enforcement will be ramping up patrols to ensure every passenger and driver is buckled on roads across America.
Additional data from 2024 has revealed:
- 59% of young adults (18–34) killed in passenger vehicles were unbuckled—among the highest rates of any age group
- Unbuckled men died more often than women in passenger vehicles (53% vs. 40%)
- More pickup truck occupants killed in a crash were unbuckled as compared to passengers (59% vs. 47%).
- While 47% of front-seat fatalities involved unbelted occupants, that number jumps to 58% for those in the back seat.
