CHARLESTON, WV – Summer is here and as people prepare for one last weekend away before school is in session, more drivers are on West Virginia roads. The West Virginia Governor’s Highway Safety Program (GHSP) is reminding all drivers of the importance of correct seat belt use. The GHSP is coordinating a statewide Click It or Ticket high-visibility enforcement mobilization that is currently underway. West Virginia’s statewide Click or Ticket mobilization runs August 2 through August 18, 2024.

West Virginia law enforcement officers are on the roadways, ticketing seat belt violators traveling without a correctly buckled seat belt or transporting unrestrained children. This statewide seat belt campaign is aimed at enforcing proper seat belt use to help keep all vehicle occupants safe as part of the GHSP’s year-round highway safety activities to curb the number of crashes, fatalities, and injuries in West Virginia. The GHSP supports several statewide Click It or Ticket high-visibility enforcement mobilizations throughout the year.

In 2022, 264 people lost their lives on West Virginia roadways. Of the 171 passenger vehicle fatalities, 85 were unrestrained.

“Wearing a seat belt can reduce the risk of fatal injury by 45%,” said GHSP Director Jack McNeeley. “The seat belt can prevent a driver or passenger from being ejected or becoming a projectile within the vehicle. Knowing that, I would ask, ‘Why wouldn’t you wear your seat belt? Why risk it?’”

“Approximately seven percent of West Virginia drivers and front seat passengers do not wear their seat belts or do not wear them correctly,” McNeeley said. “We are working hard to change this trend. Wearing your seat belt is required by law. Our long-term goal is to have 100% of drivers and passengers in West Virginia correctly buckling their seat belts day and night, front seat and back, every time they travel in a vehicle. Additionally, we are working toward an ultimate goal of zero deaths on West Virginia roads. These goals are achieved through various means, including statewide enforcement periods like this one.”

The values of our families’ and friends’ lives in West Virginia are priceless—and much higher in value than the money violators pay if ticketed, which is $25 with no additional court costs or fees. If you are caught driving while unbuckled or incorrectly buckled and you get a ticket, look at it as your wakeup call. A ticket is less expensive than paying with your life or the lives of your family and friends.

“Click It or Ticket isn’t about citations; it’s about saving lives,” concluded McNeely. Click it. Don’t risk it.

For more information about the West Virginia Governor’s Highway Safety Program, visit highwaysafety.wv.gov or call 304-926-2509.