From May 22 through June 4, The Garland Police Department is joining forces with the Texas Department of Transportation and the Texas Department of Public Safety by working to increase seat belt use through the Click It or Ticket campaign.
Texas law requires drivers and all passengers – including those in the back seat – to wear a seat belt or risk a ticket, fines and court costs up to $200 each. Children younger than 8 years old must be in a child safety seat or booster seat unless they are taller than 4 feet 9 inches. Fines issued to drivers for unrestrained children in their vehicle can be as high as $250 plus court costs.
Click It or Ticket enforcement is an effort to remind Texans to buckle up every time they get in a vehicle. Statistics continue to show that when vehicle passengers are properly seat belted, injuries are less severe and death less likely to occur during a vehicle crash.
According to NHTSA: One of the safest choices drivers and passengers can make is to buckle up. In 2016, seat belt use in passenger vehicles saved an estimated 14,668 lives. Many Americans understand the lifesaving value of the seat belt – the national use rate is at 90.1 percent – but nearly 27.5 million people still don’t buckle up. Understand the potentially fatal consequences of not wearing a seat belt and learn what you can do to make sure you and your family are properly buckled up every time.
The Garland Police Department asks citizens to maximize their safety by buckling up.