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 April 28.
The department regularly takes part in a spring traffic enforcement and awareness campaign, with this year focusing on the use of seatbelts for safety purposes.
In 2021, 11,813 passenger vehicle occupants killed in crashes were not wearing seat belts, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which coordinates the nationwide campaign. Among the young adults (18 to 34) killed, 59 percent were unbuckled — one of the highest percentages for all age groups.
The NHTSA's data also indicates that 92 percent of drivers in 2022 were using seatbelts correctly, although campaigns like the current one with University Police aim to increase these figures, noting seatbelts save around 15,000 lives per year.