The N.C. Governor’s Highway Safety Program is partnering with state and local law enforcement for its annual Memorial Day Click It or Ticket campaign that takes place now through June 3, concurrent with one of the busiest holiday travel weekends of the year. Law enforcement will be citing motorists who are not properly belted.
It’s more important than ever to remind North Carolinians to wear their seat belt and properly restrain their children. While deaths among people not wearing seat belts have slightly decreased 4.5 percent from this time last year. However, unrestrained serious injuries increased by 32 percent in North Carolina from 2016 to 2017.
North Carolina law requires all passengers in a vehicle to be properly restrained and violations are punishable by fines of up to $179. Children younger than 8 years must be in a child safety seat or booster seat unless they’re taller than 4 feet 9 inches. If they aren’t properly restrained, the driver faces fines up to $250 plus court costs.
The Click It or Ticket initiative marks its 25th anniversary this month. When it launched in May 1993, only 64 percent of North Carolinians used their seat belt. Today nearly 92 percent buckle up.
Seat belts save lives. Wearing a seat belt helps keep you from being ejected in a crash and increases your chances of surviving by 45 percent in a passenger vehicle and up to 60 percent in a pickup truck. Remember, Click It or Ticket. Every Seat. Every Time. It’s the law.
