North Carolina leads the way.
If you live in North Carolina, chances are you've heard of "Click It or Ticket" from the public service ads or even riding through a seat belt checkpoint. North Carolinians take highway safety, and wearing their seat belts seriously. The program has boosted seat belt use to as much as 84 percent. The state has one of the top percentages of seat belt use in the United States. North Carolinians are proud that they're leading the way.
What is "Click It or Ticket"?
Former Gov. Jim Hunt launched North Carolina's "Click It or Ticket" program in 1993 to increase seat belt and child safety use rates through stepped-up enforcement of the state's seat belt law. Nearly every law enforcement agency in the state participates in "Click It or Ticket," one of the most intensive law enforcement efforts of its kind. Since the start of the program, law officers have held nearly 30,000 checkpoints and more than 200,000 seat belt and 18,000 child safety seat citations.
In North Carolina and across America, millions of deaths and injuries are caused because people don't use seat belts and child safety seats. Research shows that appeals to "do the right thing" don't work for the remaining people who don't use belts. What gets them to buckle up is high visibility enforcement. That means checkpoints and traffic tickets for drivers not using belts.
"Click It or Ticket" boosts seat belt use.
Before "Click It or Ticket" began in 1993, about 65 percent of North Carolinians buckled up. The other 35 percent cost the majority of North Carolina taxpayers millions of dollars in emergency services and health care.
Today, because of "Click It or Ticket," seat belt use in North Carolina has jumped as high as 84 percent, one of the highest rates in the nation. That increase means lives and dollars are being saved every year in North Carolina.
"Click It or Ticket" saves lives and dollars.
Since "Click It or Ticket" began in 1993, fatal and serious highway injuries in North Carolina have been cut by 14 percent. The result: a savings of at least $135 million in health care-related costs.
"Click It or Ticket" takes a "bite out of crime."
During the Governor's Highway Safety Initiative from 1993 to September 1999, nearly 30,000 checkpoints were held across the state. As a result, officers discovered 56,800 criminal offenses including fugitives from justice, firearms violations, felony drug violations and stolen vehicles. Law officers are capturing criminals who may have driven away if not for high visibility enforcement of traffic laws.
"Click It or Ticket" supports local schools.
For those caught with their belts down, a seat belt violation costs $25. Under North Carolina, this fine goes to local schools. Millions of dollars have been given to local school districts because of "Click It or Ticket."
"Click It or Ticket" is paying off in reduced insurance costs.
In 1994 and 1995 rate requests, North Carolina auto insurers asked for a total of $33 million less than they would have had "Click It or Ticket" not been instituted, according to the N.C. Department of Insurance.
"Click It or Ticket" is a model for the nation.
"Click It or Ticket" is a "best practice" other states, communities and organizations can duplicate to raise seat belt and child safety seat use, according to the Presidential Intiative for Increasing Seat Belt Use Nationwide. The new national strategy for increasing seat belt use calls for building partnerships, enacting primary seat belt laws, conducting active, high-visibility enforcement and expanding public education efforts. "Click It or Ticket" has already used these strategies to boost seat belt use and keep it at record levels.
"Click It or Ticket" is a public-private partnership.
Highway safety and increased seat belt use benefits everybody. That's why "Click It or Ticket" is just one part of what is called the North Carolina Governor's Highway Safety Initiative. This initiative brings together the resources of the public and private sectors to save lives on our highways. State government, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center, the insurance community, law enforcement and local community coalitions statewide have dedicated their resources to create a model highway safety program for the nation.
The second phase of the initiative, "Booze It & Lose It," is an unprecedented crackdown on drunken drivers in North Carolina.
"Click It or Ticket" means buckling up.
- Feedback signs in many North Carolina cities monitor local seat belt use.
- Find out more about North Carolina's occupant restraint laws and get the complete text of the three laws at UNC HSRC's web site.
