Skip to main content

Click It or Ticket

Enforcement Campaign

Click It or Ticket is a national high-visibility enforcement campaign that focuses specifically on the consequences of not wearing a seat belt while urging riders to always buckle up. Material created for this campaign highlights law enforcement’s goal of encouraging drivers and passengers to wear seat belts and to spread awareness about the increased police presence on our nation’s roads during this period. 

National Mobilizations

  • May: Memorial Day high-visibility enforcement campaign.
    • Enforcement: May 20 - June 2, 2024
    • Paid Media: May 13 - June 2, 2024
    • Earned Media: May 6 - June 13, 2024
    • Belt Observation Evaluation/Surveys: 
      • Statewide or Mini
        Baseline: Belt Observation Evaluations/Surveys: April 22 - May 5, 2024
        Post Survey: June 3 - 13, 2024
    • Public Awareness Surveys:
      • DMV
        Baseline:  April 22 - May 5, 2024
        Post Survey: June 3 - 9, 2024
      • Selected Telephone Survey
        Baseline:  April 29 - May 5, 2024
        Post Survey: June 3 - 9, 2024
  • November: Click It or Ticket may be used if high-visibility enforcement is happening in your area over the Thanksgiving holiday. 

Facts

  • The national estimate of seat belt use during the day by adult front-seat passengers in 2023 was 91.9%.  
  • In 2021 more than one person on average died per hour (11,813 total people) while not wearing seat belts in passenger vehicle crashes.
  • Among young adults 18 to 34 killed while riding in passenger vehicles in 2021, more than half (59%) were completely unrestrained — one of the highest percentages for all age groups. 
  • Men make up the majority of those killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes. Men are also overrepresented in unrestrained fatalities with 54 percent of men (8,367 people) and 42 percent of women (3,428 people) dying without a seat belt in passenger vehicle crashes in 2021. 
  • Vehicle type: There seems to be a misconception among those who drive and ride in pickup trucks that their large vehicles will protect them better than other vehicles would in a crash. The numbers say otherwise: 61% of pickup truck occupants who were killed in 2021 were not buckled. That’s compared to 47% of passenger car occupants who were not wearing seat belts when they were killed. Regardless of vehicle type, seat belt use is the single most effective way to stay alive in a crash.
  • Seating position: Too many people wrongly believe they are safe in the back seat unrestrained. Fifty percent of all front-seat passenger vehicle occupants killed in crashes in 2021 were unrestrained, but 57% of those killed in back seats were unrestrained.
  • Rural versus urban locations: People who live in rural areas might believe their crash exposure is lower, but in 2021, there were 11,922 passenger vehicle fatalities in rural locations, compared to 11,683 fatalities in urban locations. Out of those fatalities, 51% of those killed in the rural locations were not wearing their seat belts, compared to 49% in urban locations. 
  • High-visibility seat belt enforcement is important 24 hours a day, but nighttime is especially deadly for unbuckled occupants. In 2021, 57% of passenger vehicle occupants killed at night (6 p.m.–5:59 a.m.) were not wearing their seat belts. 
  • More people die unrestrained in passenger vehicle crashes at night (6,491) than during the day (5,205). In addition, a higher percentage of fatalities that occur at night are unrestrained (57%) than during the day (43%).
     

    For facts translated in Spanish, visit NHTSA.gov/Espanol.

Memorial Day

During the Memorial Day holiday, you can use many of the resources available on this page to increase your Click It or Ticket messaging. In addition, we've created assets specific to the holiday.

Talking Points

We've prepared talking points related to Click It or Ticket. These can be used as part of your Memorial Day and Thanksgiving holiday enforcement campaign messaging. After downloading, we encourage you to add local stats and facts to the document. 

Graphics

Asset Type

Static | English
Is A Cinch | English 1200x675
Is A Cinch | English 1200x1200 | Facebook, X, Instagram
Buckle Yourself In | Rural | English 1200x675
Buckle Yourself In | Rural | English 1200x1200 | Facebook, X, Instagram
Buckle Yourself In | Urban | English 1200x675
Buckle Yourself In | Urban | English 1200x1200 | Facebook, X, Instagram
Why I Pulled You Over | English 4 animated, 4 static
Cross Your Heart 4 animated, 4 static
What's Wrong | English 4 animated, 4 static
CIOT Crime/Crash Clock
Animated | English
Is A Cinch | Animated | English 1200x1200 | Facebook, X, Instagram
Is A Cinch | Animated | English 1080x1920 | vertical video
Buckle Yourself In | Rural | Animated | English 1200x1200 | Facebook, X, Instagram
Buckle Yourself In | Rural | Animated | English 1080x1920 | vertical video
Buckle Yourself In | Urban | Animated | English 1200x1200 | Facebook, X, Instagram
Buckle Yourself In | Urban | Animated | English 1080x1920 | vertical video
Static | Spanish
Greater Than | Spanish 1200x1200 | Facebook, X, Instagram
Make It Click | Spanish 1200x1200 | Facebook, X, Instagram
Why I Pulled You Over | Spanish 4 animated, 4 static
What's Wrong | Spanish 4 animated, 4 static
Animated | Spanish
Greater Than | Animated | Spanish 1200x1200 | Facebook, X, Instagram
Make It Click | Animated | Spanish 1200x1200 | Facebook, X, Instagram

All social media platforms accept 1200x1200 graphics. If you need additional sizes send a request to Feedback-TSM@dot.gov

Thanksgiving

During the Thanksgiving holiday, you can use many of the resources available on this page to increase your Click It or Ticket messaging. In addition, social media assets specific to the holiday are available. 

  • Coming in late fall: 2024 material

_

Asset Type

English
Thanksgiving | Pull Up | Static | English 4 sizes
Thanksgiving | Pull Up | Animated | English 4 sizes
Spanish
Thanksgiving | Pull Up | Static | Spanish 4 sizes
Thanksgiving | Pull Up | Animated | Spanish 4 sizes

Ads

Asset Type

Video | English
Click It | Two Guys TV & Digital | :30, :15, :06 Available by Request
It's No Game Digital | :30, :15, :06
Dinged Digital | :15 Available by Request
Click It or Ticket | Rural TV & Digital | :30 Available by Request
Audio | English
Two Guys
Banner | English
Pull Over Banner | 7 static, 7 HTML5 format)
Video | Spanish
Click It | Dos segundos pueden salvar tu vida TV & Digital | :60, :30, :15, :06 Available by Request

If a video is noted as Available by Request, it is not available for immediate download. A state may submit a request to NHTSA and the ad can be retagged with their stage logo.

Note: No one may alter, edit, or change a NHTSA TV ad or digital video.

Reports

Media Work Plan

Media Buy Summary

  • Coming soon: 2024 Media Buy Summary

Campaign Research Results

 

Future Dates

2025

  • High-Visibility Enforcement 
    • Enforcement: May 19 - June 1, 2025
    • Paid Media: May 12 - June 1, 2025
    • Earned Media: May 5 - June 12, 2025
  • Belt Observation Evaluation/Surveys 
    • Statewide or Mini
      Baseline: Belt Observation Evaluations/Surveys: April 21 - May 4, 2025
      Post Survey: June 2 - 12, 2025
  • Public Awareness Surveys 
    • DMV
      Baseline:  April 21 - May 4, 2025
      Post Survey: June 2 - 8, 2025
    • Selected Telephone Survey
      Baseline:  April 28 - May 4, 2025
      Post Survey: June 2 - 8, 2025

2026

  • High-Visibility Enforcement 
    • Enforcement: May 18 – 31, 2026
    • Paid Media: May 11 – 31, 2026
    • Earned Media: May 4 - June 11, 2026
  • Belt Observation Evaluation/Surveys 
    • Statewide or Mini
      Baseline: Belt Observation Evaluations/Surveys: April 20 - May 3, 2026
      Post Survey: June 1 - 11, 2026
  • Public Awareness Surveys 
    • DMV
      Baseline:  April 20 - May 3, 2026
      Post Survey: June 1 - 7, 2026
    • Selected Telephone Survey
      Baseline:  April 27 - May 3, 2026
      Post Survey: June 1 - 7, 2026

2027

  • High-Visibility Enforcement 
    • Enforcement: May 24 - June 6, 2027
    • Paid Media: May 17 - June 6, 2027
    • Earned Media: May 3 - June 10, 2027
  • Belt Observation Evaluation/Surveys 
    • Statewide or Mini
      Baseline: Belt Observation Evaluations/Surveys: April 19 - May 2, 2027
      Post Survey: June 7 - 17, 2027
  • Public Awareness Surveys 
    • DMV
      Baseline:  April 19 - May 2, 2027
      Post Survey: June 7 - 13, 2027
    • Selected Telephone Survey
      Baseline:  April 26 - May 2, 2027
      Post Survey: June 7 - 13, 2027
  •  

Additional Resources