Law Enforcement In East Texas Is Stepping Up Seat Belt Enforcement

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If you drive in Texas you know the law, buckle up every time you get behind the wheel. That doesn't only apply to just the driver, but all passengers in your vehicle. With the Memorial Day weekend holiday and summer travel season upon us, TxDOT reminds us to 'Click It Or Ticket'.  So buckle up Texas.

With more people on the road traveling for the holiday to visit family and friends, either here in East Texas or farther away, there is a greater chance that you could be involved in an accident with another vehicle, and wearing your seat belt could save your life and the lives of your passengers.

This year TxDOT is celebrating the 20th anniversary of the 'Ticket Or Click It' campaign in Texas. The program launched in 2002 and is believed to have saved nearly 7000 lives, prevented nearly 120,000 serious injuries and saved $26.3 billion in economic costs. According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, in 2021, 1,226 people who died in vehicle crashes were not wearing their seatbelts. That's an average of three per day on Texas roads.

As the driver of a vehicle, if you are not belted in or any of your passengers are not seat belted, law enforcement could issue you a citation for yourself and for each of your passengers that are not wearing a seat belt. Texas law enforcement will be stepping their efforts through June 5th to make sure all drivers are wearing their seat belts properly, if not, they could get a ticket.

Here is a scary and sobering statistic about Texas roadways, since November 7, 2000, there hasn't been a day go by that someone hasn't been killed on a Texas road says Texas DPS (KETK). That's 7,864 consecutive days, including today, May 25, 2022, that someone had died while on a Texas road.

As we celebrate and remember those who lost their lives while fighting for our county this weekend, let's make sure we all buckle up when we get into our car, truck or SUV.