Click It or Ticket campaign kicks off in Oklahoma

To kick off the 2018 “Click It or Ticket” seat belt campaign, the Oklahoma Highway Safety Office is partnering with St. John Health System, law enforcement partners, AAA Oklahoma, and other local groups to highlight the dangers of not wearing a seat belt.

This highly visible seat belt enforcement period begins on May 21 and runs through June 3, covering the busy Memorial Day holiday weekend. In 2016, 47.5 percent of all vehicle fatality victims in Oklahoma were not using safety belts or child restraint devices. Among the almost 34,000 people injured in crashes in Oklahoma during 2016, 2,500 were not restrained.

“In 2016, we lost 224 Oklahomans because they weren’t buckled up,” said Cody McDonell, communications manager for the Oklahoma Highway Safety Office. “To us, that’s 224 too many. Something as simple as clicking your seat belt can save your life.”

During the 2017 “Click It or Ticket” campaign in Oklahoma, nearly 300 agencies participated, resulting in 8,057 seat belt violations and 244 child passenger restraint violations.

“Past ‘Click It or Ticket’ campaigns have shown how helpful it can be to our overall goal of spreading the message about the importance of buckling up,” said Director Paul Harris of the Oklahoma Highway Safety Office.