HOPE — The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration is urging drivers to buckle up ahead of the Click It or Ticket seat belt safety
campaign. The national high-visibility seat belt enforcement effort, which coincides with the
Memorial Day holiday runs May 18-31, 2026.
Seat belt use should be an automatic habit for drivers and passengers alike. During the Click
It or Ticket campaign, we’ll be working with our fellow law enforcement officers across local
and state lines to ensure the message gets out to drivers and passengers. Not buckling up
could mean a ticket, or worse, risking a life.
In 2024, there were 9,758 unbuckled passenger vehicle occupants killed in traffic crashes. The
national seat belt use rate in 2024 was 91.2%, which is good — but it can be better. The other
8.8% still need to be reminded that seat belts save lives. Participating law enforcement
agencies will be taking a no-excuses approach to seat belt law enforcement, writing citations
day and night.
One of the focuses of the Click It or Ticket seat belt campaign is nighttime enforcement.
NHTSA data shows a higher number of unrestrained occupant fatalities happen at night (56%
between the hours of 6 p.m. and 5:59 a.m.). Of the males killed in crashes in 2023, more than
half (53%) were unrestrained. For females killed in crashes, 41% were not buckled up.
Buckle Up the Right Way
• Place the shoulder belt across the middle of the chest and away from the neck.
• Lay the lap belt across the hips and not the stomach.
• NEVER place the seat belt behind the back or under arms.
We are asking friends and family to remind each other to buckle up in the front and back
seats and to consider changing their habits if they don’t. Seat belts save lives, and everyone
— front seat and back, child and adult — needs to remember to buckle up.
For more information on the Click It or Ticket seat belt high-visibility enforcement campaign,
please visit NHTSA.gov/ClickIt.