As Memorial Day approaches and traffic increases, the Arkansas State Police, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Arkansas Highway Safety Office (AHSO), is reminding drivers and passengers to buckle up — day and night.
The Click It or Ticket campaign will run from May 19 to June 1, 2025, with law enforcement agencies across Arkansas stepping up seat belt enforcement statewide. Officers will take a zero-tolerance approach to violations, writing citations regardless of the time of day or the seat an occupant is in.
In 2023, Arkansas reported a seat belt use rate of just 80%, falling short of the national average of 92%. With nighttime crashes often involving unbuckled occupants, the campaign will focus heavily on after-dark enforcement. NHTSA data shows that 54% of men and 42% of women killed in crashes in 2021 were not wearing seat belts.
The goal of the campaign is not just to issue citations but to raise awareness about the life-saving importance of seat belt use. Everyone — drivers and passengers, front seat and back — is urged to make buckling up a consistent habit.
For more information on the Click It or Ticket campaign, visit NHTSA.gov/ClickIt or www.tzdarkansas.org.
