Buckle Up Texas or You Could Get a Giant Ticket This Week

It's that time of year when the Texas Department of Transportation has teamed up with law enforcement to encourage everyone in the State of Texas to wear a seat belt. This initiative spans from Amarillo to Laredo, El Paso to Texarkana, Lubbock to Galveston, Tyler to Dalhart, and every area in between.

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It's time for Click It or Ticket

From now through Memorial Day, law enforcement will be out making sure Texans are wearing their seatbelts.   In 2023 Texas experienced 1, 183 traffic fatalities where those in the vehicle were not wearing a seatbelt.  Sixty-two of those crashes happened in the Amarillo Area.

Wearing a seat belt reduces the risk of dying by 45% for people in the front seat of passenger cars.

 

Who Has to Wear a Seatbelt?

Everyone.  Texas law requires everyone in the vehicle to be secured with a seatbelt on in a car seat.  If you are caught not wearing your seatbelt that ticket can cost up to $200.  If you have a child younger than 8 years old they must be in a child safety seat or booster unless they are taller than 4 ft 9 in tall.  If you are caught with a child in the car not in a child safety seat then you will face a fine up to $250 plus court costs.

Click It or Ticket was founded in 2002 and in the last 22 years, this campaign has saved over 7,800 lives, and prevented 139,000 serious injuries according to the NHTSA.

Buckle Up!

When you get into the car this week or this weekend as you travel this Memorial Weekend and Day, make sure everyone in your car is buckled up and safe.