NICEVILLE, Fla. (May 22, 2025) — The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is urging drivers to buckle up ahead of a national Click It or Ticket campaign. The national high-visibility seat belt enforcement effort, which coincides with the Memorial Day holiday, runs through June 1, 2025. The Northwest Florida State College Police Department is actively participating in the campaign, emphasizing that wearing a seat belt isn’t just smart — it’s the law.
“Wearing a seat belt should be second nature for everyone in a vehicle,” said Chief Aaron Murray of Northwest Florida State College Police Department. “It’s more than just common sense, it’s also the law. Throughout the Click It or Ticket campaign, we’re joining forces with law enforcement partners from across the region to remind drivers and passengers that buckling up saves lives. It’s one of the easiest steps you can take to reduce the risk of serious injury or death in a crash. Unfortunately, we’ve seen firsthand how devastating the consequences can be when people choose not to wear their seat belt — and in many cases, those tragedies were entirely avoidable.”
In 2023, 91.9% of people wore seat belts during the day — a strong number, but there’s still room for improvement. The remaining 8.1% must recognize that wearing a seat belt can save lives. Law enforcement agencies involved in the campaign will be enforcing seat belt laws around the clock, with zero tolerance for violations.
A key part of the Click It or Ticket campaign is enforcing seat belt laws at night, when unbelted crash fatalities are more common, according to NHTSA data. Seatbelt use also varies by gender — in 2021, 54% of men and 42% of women who died in crashes were not buckled up.
“If this effort gets people to think twice about driving unbuckled, we’ve done our part,” said Ronnie Birge, Lead Safety Specialist at Northwest Florida State College. “Please remind your loved ones to buckle up — every seat, every time. It’s a simple step that saves lives.”
