EVANSTON, IL - As summer kicks off and travel increases, Evanston Police is partnering with the Illinois Department of Transportation to remind motorists to Click It or Ticket. The national seat-belt enforcement campaign will take place May 18 through 29, concurrent with one of the busiest travel and holiday weekends of the year. Click It or Ticket enforces seat-belt and car-seat use to keep all motorists safe.

“Our law enforcement personnel see firsthand the loss of life when people refuse to buckle up,” said Traffic Sergeant Williams. “It’s such a simple and effective way to protect yourself while traveling. As the Memorial Day weekend approaches, we want to make sure people are doing everything they can to stay safe in the unfortunate event of a crash.”

Illinois has a 93.8% observed seat belt usage rate, but a disproportionate number of fatalities involve unbelted motorists and passengers.  Of the 1093 traffic deaths in 2017, where restraint use was known, 54% of those killed were not wearing seat belts.

Seat belt use drops even more in the evening hours between 6 p.m. and 5:59 a.m. That’s why one focus of the Click It or Ticket campaign is nighttime enforcement. Evanston Police will be taking a no-excuses approach, writing citations day and night. Motorists caught not buckled up will be ticketed, and those caught driving impaired will be arrested. 

“Please help us spread this life-saving message before one more friend or family member is killed as a result of this senseless inaction,” said Traffic Sergeant Williams. Seat belts save lives, and every vehicle occupant—front seat and back, child and adult—needs to remember to buckle up, every trip, every time.  Together, we can make zero fatalities a reality in Illinois.”

For more information on the Click It or Ticket mobilization, visit www.BuckleUpIllinois.org.