TxDOT partners with law enforcement to urge everyone to“Click it or Ticket”

Choosing to not wear a seat belt is an all too common mistake in Texas.

In the Atlanta District in 2022, there were 102 motor vehicle traffic crashes in which unrestrained occupants sustained fatal or serious injuries. These crashes resulted in 32 fatalities and 79 serious injuries. The Atlanta District includes Bowie, Camp, Cass, Harrison, Marion, Morris, Panola, Titus and Upshur Counties.

In Texarkana in 2022, there were 4 motor vehicle traffic crashes in which unrestrained occupants sustained fatal or serious injuries. These crashes resulted in 1 fatality and 3 serious injuries.

“Seatbelts save lives. It’s the single most important precaution you can take to protect yourself from serious injury or death in a crash,” said TxDOT Atlanta District Engineer Rebecca Wells.

Statewide in 2022, there were 1,258 people killed who were not wearing their seat belt, a 2.5% increase from the year before.

“It’s critical for everyone to take just a few seconds to buckle up, every ride, every time,” said TxDOT Executive Director Marc Williams. “Wearing a seat belt is one of the most important precautions motorists and their passengers can take to protect themselves in a crash. Whatever reason you may have for not buckling up, I promise it’s not worth your life.”

While more than 90% of Texans make the right choice to wear a seat belt, that still means 10% of Texans make the dangerous choice to stay unprotected on the road. Tx-DOT’s goal is to get 100% of drivers and passengers to wear their seat belt 100% of the time.

From May 22 through June 4, including Memorial Day Weekend, law enforcement from around the state will be working overtime ticketing motorists who are not buckled up. State law requires that every person in a vehicle be secured by a seat belt whether riding in the front or back seat.

Fines and court costs for failing to fasten seat belts can add up to $250 or more.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that the Click It or Ticket initiative has saved more than 7,399 lives, prevented more than 120,000 serious injuries, and resulted in $28.5 billion in economic savings since its inception in 2002.

TxDOT’s Click It or Ticket campaign is a key component of #EndTheStreakTX, a broader social media and word-ofmouth effort that encourages drivers to make safer choices while behind the wheel to help end the streak of daily deaths. Nov. 7, 2000, was the last deathless day on Texas roadways.

Follow TxDOT’s Atlanta District on Facebook @TxDOTAtlantaTX, Twitter @TxDOTAtlanta and Nextdoor.