Seat belt usage hits record high 84%, 45 million Americans still not buckling up

Click it or Ticket

Ray LaHood, U.S. Secretary of Transportation, said yesterday that while seat belt use has increased to a record high 84 percent nationwide, 45 million Americans are still not buckling up. LaHood said that the Department of Transportation is now kicking off its Click It or Ticket program, a national enforcement mobilization that encourages all motorists to wear their seat belts. Those caught not wearing their seat belt will be ticketed.

“We’ve made great strides to get Americans to buckle up, but we must not rest on our laurels,” said LaHood. “Not wearing your seat belt is a serious, life-threatening practice. If you are one of the 45 million Americans who won’t buckle up, our Click It or Ticket enforcement mobilization will be looking for you.”

“On any given day about 38 people who are not buckled-up are killed in motor vehicle crashes, according to statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA),” DOT said in a statement. “In 2008 alone, nearly 14,000 unbuckled passenger vehicle occupants lost their lives on U.S. roadways. Nearly half of them could have been saved if they had been belted. Click here to view map.”

The “Click It or Ticket” campaign is set to run from May 24 through June 6, 2010.

– By: Omar Rana