University Police will remind members of the campus community of the importance of using seatbelts with a "Click It or Ticket" campaign between now and May 1.
The department regularly takes part in a spring traffic enforcement and awareness campaign, this year deciding to focus on the use of seatbelts for safety purposes.
In 2019, 9,466 unbuckled passenger vehicle occupants were killed in crashes in the United States, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which coordinates the nationwide campaign. While the pandemic reduced traveling overall, the NHTSA reported that for drivers who remained on the roads, there was more risky behavior, including people not wearing seat belts.
The NHTSA's data also indicates that 9 out of 10 drivers in 2020 were using seatbelts correctly, although campaigns like the current one with University Police aim to increase these figures, noting seat belts save around 15,000 lives per year.