Law enforcement officers in Delaware will be out in force during the Memorial Day holiday weekend and beyond to make sure drivers are buckled up.
It’s part of the national “Click it or Ticket” campaign, but while a ticket is one possible outcome of being cited for a seatbelt violation, the purpose is not punishment but education.
“The whole point of this is to remind people to use their seatbelts and that they're there for a reason. It's not about writing tickets, it's about reminding people to be safe," said the Office of Highway Safety’s Meghan Niddrie.
Niddrie says Delaware’s 92 percent seat belt usage rate is actually pretty good, but other data paint a troubling picture.
“58% of the fatalities in 2024 were unrestrained, so those two statistics together kind of show that, yes, people are still using their seat belts, but a lot of the fatalities we're seeing are because they were unrestrained," she said.
“Although Delaware has a high seatbelt usage rate, the number of unrestrained fatalities is alarming,” said Sharon Bryson, Director of the Office of Highway Safety.
Niddrie adds 87% of people involved in accidents while wearing seatbelts walked away unhurt.
The Click it or Ticket campaign started Monday and runs through June 8.
