The month of May marks the 15th anniversary of the "Click it or Ticket" campaign and over the years it has it has resulted in 5,068 fewer traffic deaths according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The campaign that asks Texans to buckle up is a law, but it's also an important part of protecting yourself in case of a car crash. When the “Click It or Ticket” campaign launched in 2002, only 76 percent of Texans used their seat belts.

The campaign might seems unnecessary, but it makes a difference for drivers and can save lives. Reports say that wearing a seat belt helps keep occupants from being ejected in a crash and increases the chances of surviving by 45 percent in a car, and up to 60 percent in a truck.

In 2016, 994 people died because they weren’t wearing seat belts – an increase of 9 percent over the 908 seat belt related fatalities recorded in 2015. Today, nearly 92 percent buckle up, but 8 percent still don’t and the number of people who don’t buckle up doubles to 16 percent at night.

Recently, 19 year-old Payton Ross Jennings of Big Spring lost his life after over correcting on FM 3033 northeast of Stanton. A passenger in the car, 33 year-old Andrew Summers, sustained incapacitating injuries. Jennings and his passenger were not wearing their seat belts at the time of the fatal accident.

In Texas, the law requires everyone in a vehicle to buckle up or face fines and court costs up to $200.

 

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