NOVEMBER 14, 2022

Arkansas law enforcement officers plan to bolster their patrol assignments aimed at violators who are not buckled-up while traveling on local streets and state highways during the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday period.

State troopers, local police and sheriff’s deputies are following the lead of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) high visibility Click It or Ticket seat belt awareness campaign which is intended to reduce the number of fatalities that occur when motorist fail to buckle-up. The concerted campaign by law enforcement begins next Monday (November 21st) and continues through Sunday night (November 27th).

During the Thanksgiving holiday weekend of 2020 (6 PM Wednesday, November 25, to 5:59 AM, November 30), there were 333 passenger vehicle occupants killed in traffic crashes across the nation. More than half the victims (52%) were not wearing a seatbelt. Additionally, nighttime has proven to be more deadly than daytime, with 67% of Thanksgiving weekend fatal crashes occurring at night. The deaths were needless tragedies for families across America that may have been prevented with the simple click of a seat belt.

“Properly using a seat belt in a moving vehicle isn’t just a suggestion, it’s the law,” said Colonel Bill Bryant, Director of the Arkansas State Police, and the Governor’s Highway Safety Representative. “Wherever you travel, short distances or long, you must wear a seat belt. It’s your best defense if involved in a crash and may mean the difference between life and death. This Thanksgiving, and every day of the year, remember, Click It or Ticket.”

For more information about highway safety during this Thanksgiving holiday, please visit https://www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/seat-belts or contact the Arkansas Highway Safety Office at (501) 618-8136.