Memorial Day ‘Click It or Ticket’ campaign begins Monday with Battleship NC event
WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The Governor’s Highway Safety Program is urging North Carolinians to buckle up this Memorial Day so everyone can safely honor those who died while serving in the U.S. military.
State and local officials will be aboard the USS North Carolina Battleship Memorial Monday at 10:00 a.m. to reinforce the traffic safety message. It’s part of this year’s Memorial Day “Click It or Ticket” campaign, which runs from May 22nd through June 4th.
“We want everyone to enjoy Memorial Day safely and responsibly by always wearing a seat belt when they’re traveling,” said state Transportation Secretary Eric Boyette, who will speak at Monday’s event. “Sadly, the Memorial Day holiday is one of our deadliest times of year on the roads and many of those deaths could be prevented if people would just buckle up – every seat, every time.”
The campaign encourages people to buckle up through enforcement and education, including increased law enforcement patrols and seat belt checks in all 100 North Carolina counties.
Each year, one of the main contributors to vehicle deaths is people who don’t wear seat belts. Over the last six years, more than 40 percent of the people killed in vehicle crashes were not wearing a seat belt.
It’s not just dangerous to ride unbelted. It can also be expensive. People who violate North Carolina’s seat belt law can face a fine of $180 or more.
