Statesville Police Department Joins Click It or Ticket Campaign to Save Lives

Proper seat belt use matters, too.

• The shoulder belt should rest across the middle of your chest and away from your neck, while the lap belt should sit snugly across your hips, not your stomach.
• Never place the shoulder belt behind your back or under your arm.

Seat belts are your best defense in a crash, especially when sharing the road with impaired, aggressive, or distracted drivers. They help keep you securely inside your vehicle, reduce the risk of injury, and distribute crash forces across stronger parts of the body. Without a seat belt, occupants are at a much greater risk of being ejected from the vehicle - an outcome that is often fatal.

Despite years of progress in increasing seat belt use, approximately half of all passenger vehicle fatalities still involve unrestrained occupants. That’s a statistic we can all help change.

Remember, air bags alone are not enough to keep you safe. In fact, without a seat belt, the force of an air bag can cause serious injury. Buckling up ensures that all safety features in your vehicle work together as intended.

The message is simple: Click It or Ticket. Buckling up takes just a few seconds, but it can make all the difference.

For more information on seat belt safety, visit www.nhtsa.gov/SeatBelts.