Based on the Texas Division of Transportation, greater than 1,000 individuals who died in crashes on Texas roads in 2024 weren’t carrying seatbelts.
SPRING, Texas — As hundreds of thousands of Texans put together to hit the highway for Memorial Day weekend, state officers are ramping up their efforts to maintain drivers and passengers secure.
The Texas Division of Transportation (TxDOT) is as soon as once more launching its “Click on It or Ticket” marketing campaign, reminding everybody to put on their seatbelts – or face the results. The marketing campaign runs by way of June 1 and contains billboards throughout Houston and all through the state urging compliance.
“Now we have our billboards. We do our tv commercials. We additionally exit to varsity campuses,” TxDOT spokesperson Leo Flores mentioned.
Based on TxDOT, greater than 1,000 individuals who died in crashes on Texas roads final yr weren’t carrying seatbelts.
“A few of these deaths had been utterly preventable by doing one thing quite simple as placing on their seatbelt,” Flores mentioned.
With AAA Texas projecting that greater than three million Texans will journey by automotive this Memorial Day weekend, officers are urging warning.
“There’s at all times the likelihood for accidents, however with extra folks on the roads, there’s an excellent better chance,” Flores mentioned.
Amongst these sharing a private plea for drivers to put on a seatbelt is Spring, Texas, resident David Mills. Mills misplaced his daughter, Kailee, in a automotive crash in 2017 when she was simply 16 years outdated. She was driving in a automotive with pals simply minutes from her house, and she or he unbuckled her seatbelt to take a selfie. Moments later, the automotive crashed.
“She was ejected. She died immediately. And her pals all walked away with no accidents, they usually all had their seatbelts on, so we all know that our daughter would nonetheless be right here if she had her seatbelt on,” Mills mentioned.
Now, by way of the Kailee Mills Basis, David Mills is sharing his daughter’s story to advertise seatbelt security. He wrapped his truck with a photograph of Kailee, in addition to a message to buckle up. He mentioned he typically brings the truck to occasions they maintain at faculties and all through the neighborhood.
“The message on the again is ‘Buckle up, somebody loves you.’ That’s our message to not simply children, however households basically,” Mills mentioned. “It’s like a billboard. It’s a message to all of the drivers on the highway. When drivers on the highway see this, I’ve truly seen folks pull up and attain throughout and buckle their seatbelts as a result of they noticed the truck.”
TxDOT estimates that greater than 8,200 lives have been saved for the reason that “Click on It or Ticket” marketing campaign started in 2002. Based on the Nationwide Freeway Visitors Security Administration, carrying a seatbelt reduces the danger of dying in a crash by 45% for entrance seat passengers.
