SAN ANTONIO – Memorial Day weekend is one of the busiest times on the road and TxDOT is anticipating more people will be traveling during the holiday weekend.
“Obviously people are going to be doing a lot more traveling. They’re going to be visiting families and having celebrations,” TxDOT spokeswoman, Laura Lopez said.
The agency is reminding people to “Click it or Ticket”. The campaign was launched in 2002 and the goal is to encourage drivers and passengers to buckle up.
Lopez said it has had a positive impact over the years.
“The seatbelt use rate has increased by 76% to almost 91%,” she said.
However 2020 was an unusual year on the road. TxDOT reported a 16% increase in the number of people who died from not wearing a seatbelt.
“That’s just so disappointing to us because it’s extremely important and it’s just a simple task,” Lopez said.
Expect to see an increase in the number of police officers and deputies on the road this weekend. Texas law requires drivers and passengers all be buckled up.
Not buckling up could mean a $200 fine. Children younger than eight must be in a child safety seat or booster seat unless they’re taller than 4 feet 9 inches.
“Our number one priority is safety and we want to make sure drivers make that their priority as well,” Lopez said.
The campaign will run through June 6 but Lopez said buckling up is year round. This is just one part of TxDOT’s “End the Streak Texas” campaign.