Seat Belt Use: Do Click It or Ticket Campaigns Work?

 Posted on December 00, 0000 in Motorcycle Accidents

Many of us have heard of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Click It or Ticket campaign. The national campaign is focused on convincing people to fasten their seat belts. In particular, the campaign is aimed at teens and young adults. The goal is to convince people to always “click it” when getting into a vehicle, either as a driver or a passenger. Statistics show that almost half of people who die in motor vehicle crashes were not wearing their seat belt.

Illinois is one of many states in the nation that participate in the Click It or Ticket program. Typically, the state holds two campaigns every year. The first is held around the Memorial Day weekend and the second is held over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. There are approximately 400 law enforcement agencies, including the Illinois State Police, who participate in the program. For those who are found not wearing a seat belt, the minimum fine is $60.00.

But does the threat of receiving a ticket actually work in getting people to click their seat belts? One study examined this question and found that these campaigns do appear to be working.

Researchers from the Harvard Kennedy School and the University of Missouri examined the Click It or Ticket campaign that Massachusetts runs every year. One of the reasons they chose the state is that law enforcement can only ticket someone for a seat belt violation if the person has been stopped for another reason, such as running a stop sign or speeding. Overall, the study found that the campaigns decreased crashes in the state. For every 1 percent in ticket issuance, there was a .28 percent decrease in accidents.

The study also found that there was an increase in ticketing during nighttime hours compared to daytime. Traditionally, more people fail to wear seat belts at night than they do during the day. It also discovered that ticketing had a three times greater impact on women than it did on men.

In the state of Illinois, the campaigns also appear to be working. Since 2010, 92 percent of car occupants in the state buckle up.

Unfortunately, no matter how safety conscious you may be as a driver, other drivers often do not take those same precautions. If you have been injured in a car crash caused by another driver, contact an experienced Lake County injury attorney to find out what legal action you may be able to take against the other driver for you pain and loss.

Sources:

http://www.nhtsa.gov/nhtsa/ciot/index.html

http://www.buckleupillinois.org/Illinois%20Click%20It%20or%20Ticket%20FAQs%20FINAL.pdf

http://journalistsresource.org/studies/environment/transportation/motor-vehicle-crashes-click-it-or-ticket-laws

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/pam.21798/full