Keep a wary eye out and your seatbelts fastened! The annual Click It or Ticket campaign is hitting Louisiana just in time for the holidays, and seatbelt enforcement will be ramping up. The campaign is aimed at raising awareness about seatbelt safety to keep drivers in the region safe. While the “Click It Or Ticket” campaign is a nationwide effort, it happens specifically during the Thanksgiving holidays here in Louisiana because of the state’s reputation as a destination spot for friends and family to meet up.
The campaign began state-wide last weekend and will run through Sunday of this week as law enforcement officers across the region look for drivers who aren’t buckled in on the roadways. Gregory Fischer, Public Information Officer for the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission adds some context for how the campaign became what it is today. “Click It or Ticket began as an enforcement initiative in North Carolina in 1993. What happened is that it was so successful, the Department of Transportation and NHTSA adopted that for national enforcement mobilization,” Fischer adds.
While many may see the campaign as a cash grab, Fischer emphasizes that the funds raised from increased enforcement will go toward underfunded aspects of law enforcement. “What’s happening this week through Sunday will fund law enforcement agencies who participate across the state to enable them to have overtime. This enables extra patrols and other safety measures, and that’s a big reason behind this,” Fischer goes on to say.
The campaign has become well-known at this point after years of pushing the message of seatbelt safety across America. But, the question still remains: is all of this actually helping to move the needle when it comes to people actually buckling up and staying safe? Fischer says the data is pointing in the right direction. “There are two parts to it: In behavioral highway safety, there are studies that show if you combine earned media and paid media with enforcement, that’s when you start to move the needle in the right direction,” Fischer says. “This interview is part of the media campaign, for instance, and the enforcement happening through Sunday is the other arm. Those combined efforts have yielded results,” adds Fischer.
“There has been progress over time,“ Fischer emphasizes. “Each year we do a seatbelt survey in the state. What happens is we post people along street corners and mark how many people are and aren’t wearing their seatbelts.
This year, for instance, we are showing the highest percentage in state history of people buckling up,” says Fischer. That’s heartening news in a state where motor vehicle accidents are so prevalent for a myriad of reasons. “We are at 88.4% compliance in 2024, which is the highest percentage in state history.
That means fewer than 12% of the people across the state are still not wearing their seatbelt and that’s good news,” Fischer adds.
His advice? Stay buckled up, make it a habit, and make sure your friends get in the habit of doing so any time they enter your vehicle.
This will ensure that safety becomes second nature, and it will also keep you from having to deal with the cost of a ticket with law enforcement keeping an extra watchful eye out.