Nearly half of occupants in passenger vehicles that were killed in crashes in 2014 were not wearing seatbelts, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). That troubling statistic is behind the annual Click It or Ticket safety campaign launched last week by the NHTSA, the Department of Transportation and a number of local agencies. During the effort, law enforcement officers will be out in full force, ticketing drivers and passengers who are not wearing their seat belts.
Despite a steady rise in the seat belt use rate – to 88.5 percent in 2014 -- “Far too many people are still dying because they are not buckled up during crashes,” said NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind. His advice to drivers: “Before you even turn the key, make sure that everyone in your car has their seat belt on, every trip, day and night.”