History

• In 2005, the "Click It or Ticket" campaign began in California. The year prior, the seat belt usage rate in California was 90.4 percent. From 2004 to 2008, seat belt usage in California increased from 90.4 percent to 95.7 percent--which is an increase of more than 1.25 million drivers.
  
  

Consequences

• In California, a seat belt violation for a driver over the age of 16 costs $142. This amount has increased over the years from $80 to $90 to $132 and finally $142. Violations involving passengers under the age of 16 can go up to $445. If a child under the age of 6 is not properly restrained, the driver can receive a point on their driving record.
  
  

Significance

• The seat belt usage rate in California has seen a steady increase since the "Click It or Ticket" campaign debuted in 2005. Between 2007 and 2008, the teen seat belt use rate increased from 88.9 percent to 89.6 percent. In just a year, there was an increase in child safety seat usage from 87.7 percent to 94.4 percent.
  
  

Considerations

• Aside from enforcing seat beat usage, "Click It or Ticket" campaigns educate drivers about the importance of wearing seat belts. According to a press release from the California Office of Traffic Safety, drivers and passengers wearing seat belts have a 50 percent better chance of surviving a crash than those without seat belts. Unrestrained drivers and passengers are at risk of being ejected from the vehicle in crashes and rollovers, which makes them 35 times more likely to die than those wearing seat belts.
  
  

Solution

• According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, more than 15,000 lives are saved every year through the use of seat belts. Captain Anthony La Berge of the Santa Clarita, California, Sheriff's Department was quoted as saying during a press conference: "Seat belts save thousands of lives every year. Buckling up will not only save you a heavy fine, it can also save your life. We're not giving warnings. It's Click It or Ticket."