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The Texas Department of Transportation is launching its annual Click It or Ticket seat belt safety campaign to reduce the number of unrestrained drivers and passengers who are killed and seriously injured every year in traffic crashes. Seat belts protect motorists by keeping them safely within the vehicle instead of being tossed around or ejected during a crash, which is almost always deadly. Wearing a seat belt reduces the risk of dying in a crash by 45{870dce3150dcce8b7f57e497f1835ac6446de711f3b298b842add65a7b4249b0} in a passenger vehicle and up to 60{870dce3150dcce8b7f57e497f1835ac6446de711f3b298b842add65a7b4249b0} in a pickup truck. Texas law enforcement officers will increase their efforts from May 20 to June 2 to ticket unbelted drivers and passengers, especially at night, as part of the Click It or Ticket initiative.
In 2018, there were 27 motor vehicle traffic crashes in Austin in which unrestrained occupants sustained fatal or serious injuries. These crashes resulted in 9 fatalities and 23 serious injuries.
TxDOT says the Click It or Ticket campaign is a key component of #EndTheStreakTX, a broader grassroots effort that encourages drivers to make safer choices while behind the wheel. Since November 8, 2000, at least one person has died on Texas roadways every single day. #EndTheStreakTX asks all Texans to commit to driving safely to help end the streak of daily deaths on our roadways.
