WEST VIRGINIA (WVDN) – The West Virginia State Police is working with the West Virginia Governor’s Highway Safety Program to urge drivers to buckle up ahead of the statewide Click It or Ticket high-visibility seat belt enforcement effort, that runs March 7 through March 23.
“We want seat belt use to be an automatic habit for drivers and passengers alike,” said Sergeant Eric McClung (West Virginia State Police). “It’s not just a safe thing to do — it’s the law. During the Click It or Ticket campaign, we’ll be patrolling all roadways across the state to ensure the message gets out to 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.”
The national seat belt use rate in 2023 was 91.9%, which is good — but it can be better. The other 8.1% still need to be reminded that seat belts save lives. In West Virginia, the seat belt use rate in 2024 was 91.98%. The rate in Morgan County was 92.4%, and while that is better than the state and national rates, 7.6% of drivers and passengers in Morgan County still need to be reached. Participating law enforcement agencies will be taking a no-excuses approach to seat belt law enforcement, writing citations day and night.
One focus 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, seat belt use differs among females and males. Of the males killed in crashes in 2021, more than half (54%) were unrestrained. For females killed in crashes, 42% were not buckled up.
For more information on the Click It or Ticket seat belt enforcement mobilization, please visit NHTSA.gov/ClickIt or you may contact the West Virginia State Police Traffic Records Section at 304-746-2805. 16131c-030624-v3
