DPS NEWS

2021 Click It or Ticket Enforcement Kickoff

For Immediate Release

Click It or Ticket seat belt enforcement happening May 17- June 6

Four crash survivors share why they now buckle up “even on short trips”

SALT LAKE CITY (May, 12, 2021) — Next Monday begins Click it or Ticket, a two week increased seat belt enforcement period. During this time, over 40 law enforcement agencies throughout the state will work more than 300 overtime shifts from May 17 to June 6 to stop and educate motorists who aren’t wearing a seat belt. The enforcement period is strategically planned to begin right before Summer travel kicks off.

Along with increased seat belt enforcement, Utahns will see billboards and digital ads encouraging seat belt safety as The Department of Public Safety releases another phase of their award-winning Buckleface campaign. This campaign has added three new characters to the family; Gandalf the Grey, Princess Leia and Captain Jack Sparrow. These characters send this important message to the public in a fun, upbeat and nostalgic way. The Department hopes these humorous spots will encourage increased seat belt use among those typically resistant to the Click it or Ticket message.

Seat belts are the single most effective way to survive in a crash. The Utah Department of Public Safety (DPS) is urging Utahns to be smart when traveling and use this safety device. In a crash, unbuckled passengers become deadly projectiles, with two options: ejection from the vehicle, or flying around the cab injuring themselves and possibly others. 

“Our goal as members of law enforcement is to educate. Only 10 percent of Utahns don’t buckle up, but that accounts for about 40 percent of the motor vehicle fatalities that occur. That number could significantly decrease if travelers would simply wear a seat belt,” says Major Nigbur.

At the Click it or Ticket press event, DPS invited four friends to share their story as a reminder to buckle up no matter how short the distance. Jacquelyn Judd, Rae McCurdy, Shayne Brock and Jasmin Roe were traveling to catch a flight to Iceland when driver McCurdy tried to avoid hitting an animal in the road, the vehicle swerved, rolled several times and ejected two of the three unbuckled passengers. Judd and Brock traveled several yards out the window and Roe was tossed about inside. After several surgeries and months of recovery, they want to share their story at this press event to educate others on how critical buckling up is, no matter what road you’re on.

“We hadn’t even gotten on the highway yet, that’s why we weren’t buckled,” said Jacquelyn Judd. Her perspective has now changed and realizes that the unexpected can happen at any time and on any road, so it’s imperative that everyone in the car buckles up, no matter what. 

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Read a media story about the press event here: https://www.fox13now.com/news/local-news/officials-report-almost-40-percent-of-people-who-die-in-car-crashes-arent-wearing-seatbelts

Media Contact:

Lt. Nick Street 

DPS/UHP – PIO

nstreet@utah.gov

801.554.5659