Would you ever ride a roller coaster without the harness? Would you let your friends or family? Of course not! Did you know that when you ride in a motor vehicle without a seat belt you are taking a similar risk? One you can’t afford. Once again, Delaware is joining law enforcement agencies nationwide to enforce seat belt laws during the annual Click It or Ticket campaign.

What you need to know
Memorial Day weekend marks the beginning of the summer travel season, which makes it the perfect time to remind everyone why seat belt use is required by law. It saves lives!
Consider these facts about unrestrained crashes in the First State from 2012-2014:

• Spring months typically have the highest number of unrestrained crashes.
• Males account for 59% of the people killed in these crashes.
• There were 89 unrestrained fatalities over the 3 year period; 64 were drivers and 25 were passengers.
• 32% of those unrestrained were also under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

What you can do
Next time you head out on the road, make sure you and everyone in your vehicle are buckled up. Don’t just do it to avoid a ticket, do it so you arrive at your destination safely! Since it’s our job to help educate Delaware motorists, we’re taking Click It or Ticket seriously.

• Everyone in the vehicle, including backseat passengers, must wear seat belts properly – shoulder belt placed across the chest with the lap belt low across the hips.
• Children must be properly restrained in a federally approved child safety seat appropriate for the child’s age, weight and height up to 8 years of age or 65 lbs,  whichever comes first.
• And if you have tweens, don’t negotiate on seat belt use. Life as a parent is full of compromises, but seat belt safety for our tweens is not up for negotiation.

For any seat belt violation, the driver will receive a $83.50 ticket.  Consider yourself warned: If police catch you not wearing your seat belt while driving, you will get a ticket. No excuses, no warnings. We’re hoping you’ll get the message and buckle up every trip, every time.

Buckle Up.  Arrive Alive DE.

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