By Cate Skinner
FAYETTEVILLE, AR– In 2016, over 50% of reported fatal car crashes the passengers were not wearing their seat belts. Arkansas state police are taking major steps in the Click It or Ticket/Border to Border state initiative.
The Click It or Ticket campaign is part of a national initiative aimed to reduce the number of traffic fatalities and to save lives.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death during the first three decades of Americans’ lives.
With the holiday season coming up, many college age students will be traveling across states to visit family. Arkansas state police will be looking closer at the travelers and their passengers in order to lower these death tolls numbers.
State and local police say they raise more awareness of this initiative during the holidays because of the increase in traveling.
The Arkansas state law requires all front seat passengers, not just drivers, to be properly buckled up. It also requires all children less than 15 years of age to be properly secured in the vehicle. Children less than 6 years of age and weighing less than 60 pounds should be restrained in a child passenger safety seat.
A driver pulled over by an officer while not wearing a seat belt will face a ticket of 70 dollars.