Nationwide "Click It or Ticket" law enforcement campaign aims to keep drivers safe behind the wheel

NORFOLK, Neb. -- A nationwide law enforcement campaign is wrapping up this weekend.

The click it or ticket campaign will come to a close this Sunday.

Sergeant Kayla Reicks of the Nebraska State Patrol - Troop B says the goal of the campaign is to bring awareness to seat belt laws and to influence drivers to buckle up.

"The Click It or Ticket campaign is there to raise awareness for your need to wear your seatbelt and the different laws in between and that in Nebraska, we have a law that says you need to have a seatbelt on," she said.

The campaign started on May 23rd and since 1993, has been held every year around the Memorial Day weekend.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the nationwide average of drivers that wear their seatbelts is 90%.

Nebraska is below the margin at 81%.

Reicks said even seeing someone stopped at a red light and remembering to strap themselves in a win.

"We'll even see it when we are driving around in our march units. You'll see people, who see us, and they'll immediately go across and you'll see the seat belt go on. And like I said, that's a win for us if we can get people to put their seat belt on," she said.

Since the campaign has begun this year, in northeast Nebraska the NSP says they have pulled 600 cars over and only 20 drivers did not have a seat belt on.

According to the NHTSA, seat belts saved 15,000 lives in 2017.

And you never know when it might save yours.

"Working the road every day, we've seen the consequences of not wearing seat belts. We've been to those accidents, we've had to tell people their loved ones aren't coming back. So, if we can convince one person to wear their seat belt, that's a win for us," Sgt. Reicks said.