FORT LIBERTY – Wearing a seat belt every time you ride in a vehicle can save your life.

That was the message transportation and military officials trumpeted during Friday’s launch of the 2024 Memorial Day “Click It or Ticket” campaign. Friday’s event was held earlier this morning at the Soldier Support Center Building at Fort Liberty in Cumberland County.   

“You should always wear your seat belt, whether you’re taking a long road trip or just running an errand,” said Mark Ezzell, director of the N.C. Governor’s Highway Safety Program, part of the N.C. Department of Transportation. “The risks are far too great not to buckle up. We see the evidence of this every day in North Carolina.”

The Click It or Ticket campaign will run May 20-June 2 and include public outreach to encourage seat belt usage and seat belt checkpoints in all 100 North Carolina counties. Fort Liberty officials agreed to host this year’s event to honor those who died in service to the country and remind everyone, including those in the military, of the importance of always wearing seat belts. 

“It’s easy to forget, even if you’re a soldier, that one of the most dangerous things any of us do is ride in a vehicle,” said Brian K. Hook, chief of the Fort Liberty Law Enforcement Department of Army Civilian Police. “That’s why it’s so important for soldiers and civilians to always buckle up anytime you’re driving or riding in a car or truck.”

The number of fatal crashes involving people not wearing a seat belt increased five out of the six years between 2017 and 2022, according to the North Carolina 2022 Traffic Crash Facts report. In 2022, 562 people not wearing a seat belt were killed in crashes statewide, compared to 417 unbelted fatalities in 2017. Each of those years, unbelted fatalities constituted more than 40% of all crash fatalities.

“This is a great reminder of just how important it is for all of us to wear a seat belt,” said Douglas M. Taggart, interagency coordinator for Military Affairs at the N.C. Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. “We want everyone to enjoy the Memorial Day holiday. So please if you’re going to be traveling anywhere, be sure to buckle up.”  

Click It or Ticket, which started 31 years ago, is now one of the most well-coordinated efforts of its kind in the nation and nearly every law enforcement agency in North Carolina participates.