TxDOT launches seat belt campaign

Most of us know that wearing a seat belt saves lives and we automatically buckle up when we get in a car. But many Texans still do not wear their seat belts, increasing their chances of dying in a serious crash. In 2020, according to the Texas Department of Transportation, “there was a 16 percent increase in deaths of unbuckled motorists. There were 1,073 fatalities in 2020 and 926 fatalities in 2019 due to people not wearing seat belts.” In response, TxDOT is launching its annual seat belt education and enforcement campaign, Click It or Ticket. “Putting on a seat belt only takes a few seconds and doing so reduces the risk of dying by up to 45 percent for people in the front seat of passenger cars and up to 60 percent for people in pickup trucks.” Those are pretty persuasive statistics. So who’s not wearing their seat belt? Mostly, pickup truck drivers and their passengers, according to the research. “Close to half of all pickup drivers killed in crashes last year in Texas were not wearing a seat belt. Additionally, people driving at night wear their seat belt less often, even though it’s a more dangerous time to drive,” says TxDOT. So buckle up, day or night, every time.