
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration is urging drivers to buckle up ahead of the Click It or Ticket seat belt
safety campaign. The national high-visibility seat belt enforcement effort, which coincides
with the Memorial Day holiday, runs May 18-31, 2026.
In 2024, there were 9,758 unbuckled passenger vehicle occupants killed in traffic crashes. The
national seat belt use rate in 2024 was 91.2%, which is good — but it can be better. The other
8.8% still need to be reminded that seat belts save lives. Participating law enforcement
agencies will be taking a no-excuses approach to seat belt law enforcement, writing citations
day and night.
One of the focuses of the Click It or Ticket seat belt campaign is nighttime enforcement.
NHTSA data shows a higher number of unrestrained occupant fatalities happen at night (56%
between the hours of 6 p.m. and 5:59 a.m.). Of the males killed in crashes in 2023, more than
half (53%) were unrestrained. For females killed in crashes, 41% were not buckled up.
Buckle Up the Right Way









