Click-It or Ticket Starts May 11

Buckle Up May 11–31 and Every Day!  That’s the advice of the Milbank Police Department, the South Dakota Department of Public Safety – Office of 

Highway Safety, and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic 

Safety Administration (NHTSA). They are all emphasizing the need for drivers to buckle up during the Click It or Ticket seat belt safety campaign that runs May 11-31 to coincide with the Memorial Day holiday.

During the Click It or Ticket campaign, local and state law enforcement officers will be working to get the message out to drivers and passengers. Not buckling up could mean a ticket, or worse, risking a life!

According to the South Dakota Department of Public Safety – Office of 

Highway Safety, in 2024, there were 9,758 unbuckled passenger- vehicle occupants killed in traffic crashes. The agency says the national seat belt use rate in 2024 was 91.2 percent, which is good, but it can be better. The remaining  8.8 percent  still need to be reminded that seat belts save lives. 

One of the focuses of the Click It or Ticket seat belt campaign is nighttime enforcement. 

NHTSA data shows a higher number of unrestrained occupant fatalities happen at night 

According to their statistics, 56 percent occur between the hours of 6 p.m. and 5:59 a.m. Of the males killed in crashes in 2023, more than half (53 percent) were unrestrained. For females killed in crashes, 41 percent were not buckled up.

Officials are also asking friends and family to remind each other to Buckle Up the Right Way:

• · Place the shoulder belt across the middle of the chest and away from the neck.
• · Lay the lap belt across the hips and not the stomach.
• · NEVER place the seat belt behind the back or under arms.

They also hope to change the habits of those who don’t already buckle up. Seat belts save lives, and everyone — front seat and back, child and adult — needs to remember to buckle up!

For more information on the Click It or Ticket seat belt high-visibility enforcement 

campaign, please visit NHTSA.gov/ClickIt and https://drivesafesd.com