The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Drive Safe Hampton Roads (DSHR) are calling on drivers to wear seat belts as part of the national Click It or Ticket safety campaign. This enforcement effort, which aligns with the Memorial Day holiday, will take place from May 19 to June 1, 2025.
“Seat belt use should be an automatic habit for drivers and passengers alike,” stated Robert Clinebell, President of DSHR. “It’s not just a safe thing to do — it’s the law. During the Click It or Ticket campaign, we’ll be working with law enforcement officers across the Hampton Roads region to ensure the message gets out to drivers and passengers. Buckling up is the simplest thing a driver can do to limit injury or save a life during a crash. We see the results of not wearing a seat belt all the time. So often, it could have been prevented.”
In 2023, the national seat belt daytime use rate was 91.9%, but Virginia’s average was below 82%. Local law enforcement agencies participating in this campaign will adopt a no-excuse approach to enforcing seat belt laws, issuing citations both day and night.
The Click It or Ticket campaign also emphasizes nighttime enforcement due to data showing more unrestrained passenger fatalities occur at night. There is also a noted difference in seat belt usage between genders; over half (53%) of males killed in crashes in 2023 were unrestrained compared to 41% of females.
“The mission of Drive Safe Hampton Roads is to reduce death and injury from vehicle crashes,” said Clinebell. “If this law enforcement effort alerts people to the dangers of unrestrained driving, we’ll consider our mission to be a success.” He urged friends and family members to remind each other about buckling up when driving: “Help spread this life-saving message before one more friend or family member is killed because of senseless inaction. Seat belts save lives, and everyone — front seat and back, child and adult — needs to remember to buckle up.”
For further details on the Click It or Ticket campaign, visit NHTSA.gov/ClickIt.
