Announcement: Click It or Ticket Campaign — May 23–June 5, 2016

Click It or Ticket is a national campaign coordinated annually by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to increase the proper use of seat belts. In 2014, more than 21,000 passenger vehicle occupants died in motor vehicle crashes in the United States; 49% were unrestrained at the time of the crash (1). An additional 2.4 million occupants (restrained and unrestrained) were treated in emergency departments for nonfatal crash-related injuries (2).

Using a seat belt is one of the most effective ways to prevent serious injury or death among older children, teens, and adults in the event of a crash. Research has found that when lap/shoulder seat belts are used, the risk for fatal injury is reduced by approximately half (3). Despite the effectiveness of seat belts, millions of persons in the United States continue to travel unrestrained (4).

Click It or Ticket takes place this year during May 23–June 5, 2016. Law enforcement agencies across the nation will conduct intensive, high-visibility enforcement of seat belt laws during both daytime and nighttime hours. Nighttime enforcement of seat belt laws is encouraged because seat belt use is lower at night (5). Additional information regarding the 2016 Click It or Ticket campaign activities is available from National Highway Traffic Safety Administration at http://www.nhtsa.gov/Driving+Safety/Occupant+Protection.

State-specific fact sheets on seat belt use and strategies to increase restraint use are available from CDC at http://www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/seatbelts/states.html. States can also calculate the expected number and monetized value of injuries prevented and lives saved by primary seat belt laws, as well as implementation costs, using CDC’s Motor Vehicle Prioritizing Interventions and Cost Calculator for States tool at http://www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/calculator/. Additional information on preventing motor vehicle crash-related injuries is available from CDC at http://www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety.

References

1. National Center for Statistics and Analysis. Occupant protection in passenger vehicles: 2014 data. Traffic safety facts. Washington, DC: US Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, National Center for Statistics and Analysis; 2016. Report no. DOT HS 812 262. http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/812262.pdf
2. CDC. WISQARS (Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System). Atlanta, GA: US Department of Health and Human Services, CDC; 2016. http://www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars
3. Kahane CJ. Fatality reduction by safety belts for front-seat occupants of cars and light trucks updated and expanded estimates based on 1986–99 FARS data. Washington, DC: US Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration; 2000. Report no. DOT HS 908 199.
4. Shults RA, Beck LF. Self-reported seatbelt use, United States, 2002–2010: does prevalence vary by state and type of seatbelt law? J Safety Res 2012;43:417–20. CrossRef PubMed
5. Tison J, Williams AF, Chaudhary NK. Daytime and nighttime seat belt use by fatally injured passenger vehicle occupants. Washington, DC: US Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration; 2010. Report no. DOT HS 811 281.