LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — This Thanksgiving holiday, Arkansas law enforcement is teaming up with the Arkansas State Police Highway Safety Office (AHSO) to remind drivers – and everyone in the car – to buckle up. The high-visibility Click It or Ticket seat belt enforcement campaign, which runs from November 24-30, 2025, focuses on reducing the number of fatalities that occur when vehicle occupants fail to buckle up.
During the Thanksgiving holiday period in 2023 (6 p.m. on Wednesday, November 22, to 5:59 a.m. on Monday, November 27), there were 309 passenger vehicle occupants killed in traffic crashes across the nation, and 44% (135) were unrestrained. Not wearing a seat belt proved to be deadly at any time of the day during the holiday, but especially at night when nearly half of those killed in crashes were unbuckled. These deaths represent needless tragedies for families across America and may have been prevented with the simple click of a seat belt.
“Buckle your seat belt to stay safe and follow the law,” said Arkansas Public Safety Secretary Colonel Mike Hagar. “If our law enforcement officers spot you riding without a seat belt, we will pull you over and issue a ticket. The bottom line is this: That seat belt may mean the difference between life and death. This Thanksgiving, and every day of the year, remember: Click It or Ticket.”
In Arkansas, the adult seat belt law requires drivers and front-seat passengers to wear seat belts at all times, and violations are punishable by a fine of up to $45 (which includes a $25 state fine and any applicable local fines). The child passenger protection law requires all children under 15 years of age to be in a seat belt or car seat regardless of seating position and violations are punishable by a fine not to exceed $100.
For more information about seat belt safety and traveling safely this Thanksgiving, please visit www.nhtsa.gov/SeatBelts or call the Arkansas Highway Safety Office at (501) 618-8136.
