Click it, Don't Risk It
From now to May 31, law enforcement officers across the state will conduct the eighth "Click It or Ticket" enforcement mobilization to remind drivers and passengers to buckle up.
"We continue to participate in 'Click It or Ticket' because there are still about 9 percent of Texans who are not buckling up," said Texas Highway Patrol Chief David Baker.
Safety belt use in Texas continues to rise. Last year, the Texas Transportation Institute reported 91.24 percent safety belt usage in the state, and this year's goal is 93.25 percent.
When people don't buckle up, it costs everyone. Since 2001, the use of safety belts in Texas has saved the state and society an estimated $8.25 billion in wage and productivity losses, medical expenses, insurance rate increases, travel delays and administrative and other associated costs.
Wearing a safety belt increases the odds of surviving a serious crash by 50 percent, and for pickup trucks, the odds of survival at 60 percent.
Texas law requires every person sitting in the front seat of a vehicle to wear a safety belt. The law also states that all children under 17 must be secured with a safety belt, or in a child safety seat, whether they are sitting in the front or in the back seat. A child less than five years old and less than 36 inches tall must be secured in a child safety seat. Traffic fines for failing to use a seat belt or secure a child in a safety seat can run from $25 to $200, plus court costs.
The Texas Department of Public Safety has had a zero-tolerance policy regarding seat belts and child safety seats since 1999. Drivers who are pulled over for seat belt and child safety seat violations by troopers will receive tickets for those violations.