Cedar Park PD Enforces 'Click It Or Ticket' Ahead Of Memorial Day

CEDAR PARK, TX — With summer holiday travel around the corner, Cedar Park police is joining forces with Texas DPS to increase seatbelt use through TxDOT's "Click It or Ticket" campaign.

Cedar Park police and other state agencies will step-up enforcement for the campaign between May 24-June 6, officials said Thursday.

Authorities said state law requires everyone in a vehicle to buckle up or face fines and court costs of up to $200. Children younger than 8 years must be in a child safety seat or booster seat unless they are taller than 4 feet 9 inches.

If they aren't properly restrained, the driver faces fines up to $250 plus court costs.

“It takes only a few seconds to buckle up once you get in the car. Why wouldn’t you?” said CPPD Traffic Sergeant, Bill Guthrie. “Using a seat belt every time you drive should be second nature. That goes for passengers as well! Being a good driver isn’t an excuse—you may not be the cause of the accident. Just one quick click can make all the difference for you and your family.”

According to recent TxDOT crash data, 1,073 people who died last year in crashes on Texas roads weren’t wearing their seat belt. Nighttime is a particularly deadly time.

In 2020, there were more than 2,200 fatalities and more than 7,100 serious injuries as a result of crashes between 6 p.m. and 5:59 a.m.

Officials at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration report that wearing a seat belt reduces the risk of dying in a crash by 45% for people in the front seat of passenger cars. For those in pickups, seat belts reduce the risk of dying in a crash by 60%, since pickups are more likely to roll over than passenger vehicles.

To learn more about Click It or Ticket, visit texasclickitorticket.com.