KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Region 7 is partnering with the National Park Service, the Missouri and Arkansas State Highway Safety Offices, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, and other law enforcement and safety advocates to urge drivers to buckle up every trip every time in and around the Ozark National Scenic Riverways National Park.
“We want seat belt use to be an automatic habit for drivers and passengers alike,” said Regional Administrator Susan DeCourcy. “It’s not just a safe thing to do — it’s the law. During the Click It or Ticket campaign, we work with our law enforcement partners across local and state lines to ensure the message reaches drivers and passengers. Buckling up is the simplest thing you can do to limit injury or save your life during a crash. We see the results of not wearing a seat belt all the time. We see the loss of life. So often, it could have been prevented.”
Missouri and Arkansas have experienced an overall increase in seat belt use over the last couple of years, but this appears to be an exception. The national seat belt use rate in 2023 was 91.9%, while Missouri saw 87% seat belt usage and Arkansas 80%. Participating national park rangers and law enforcement agencies will take a no-excuses approach to seat belt law enforcement, writing citations day and night.
One of the focuses of the Click It or Ticket campaign is nighttime enforcement. NHTSA data shows a higher number of unrestrained passenger vehicle occupant fatalities happen at night. Also, men are overrepresented in unrestrained passenger vehicle occupant fatalities with 54% of men (8,098 people) and 41% of women (3,201 people) dying without a seat belt in 2022.
“If the enforcement effort alerts people to the dangers of unrestrained driving, we’ll consider our mission to be a success,” said Regional Administrator Susan DeCourcy “If you know a friend or a family member who does not buckle up when they drive, please ask them to consider changing their habits. Please help us spread this life-saving message before one more friend or family member is killed as a result of this senseless inaction. A five-second effort to fasten your seat belts can save your life, and everyone — front seat and back, child and adult — needs to remember to buckle up.”
For more information on the Click It or Ticket seat belt enforcement mobilization, please visit NHTSA.gov/ClickIt.