CLICK IT OR TICKET CAMPAIGN REMINDS DRIVERS TO BUCKLE UP
Although Hawaiʻi was the top state for Observed Seat Belt use 50% of recent traffic fatality victims were not wearing seat belts
HONOLULU – The Hawai‘i Department of Transportation (HDOT) and its traffic safety partners are reminding drivers about the life saving benefits of wearing a seat belt, during the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) Click It or Ticket high-visibility enforcement effort. The national campaign runs from May 20 to June 2, 2024.
In 2023, 42 percent (14 of the 36) vehicle occupants that died in traffic collisions in Hawai‘i, were not wearing seat belts. So far in 2024, (January 1 to May 9), seven of the 14 motor vehicle occupants killed in crashes were reported as not wearing their seat belt.
During the Click It or Ticket campaign, HDOT will be working with state and county law enforcement officers to ensure the message gets out to drivers and passengers. Buckling up properly can save your life and the lives of others in your vehicle by reducing impact force, reducing the risk of being ejected in a crash, and reducing the chance of impact with the vehicle interior or other passengers. Hawai‘i law requires everyone in moving vehicle be properly restrained regardless of where they are sitting. Click it. Don’t risk it.
Last year, law enforcement agencies in all four counties issued 9,310 seat belt citations and 992 child safety seat citations. This year, from January through the end of April, 2,501 seatbelt citations and 196 child safety seat citations have been issued. Hawai‘i’s law enforcement agencies will continue to step up enforcement activities during the Click It or Ticket mobilization period for the safety of all vehicle occupants.
| Seat Belt Citations by County | 2023 | 2024 (through April 30) | ||
| Seat belt | Child seat | Seat belt | Child seat | |
| HPD | 3115 | 543 | 388 | 82 |
| MPD | 1690 | 119 | 414 | 7 |
| KPD | 375 | 35 | 261 | 0 |
| HCPD | 4130 | 295 | 1438 | 107 |
| Totals | 9310 | 992 | 2501 | 196 |
Figure 1: Table showing 2023 and 2024 seat belt citations by County.
Hawai‘i Revised Statute §291-11.6 requires that all occupants regardless of age or seating position be properly restrained using a child safety seat or seat belt. The fine for unrestrained occupants on Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi Island and Maui, Molokaʻi, and Lānaʻi is $102, and the fine on Kauaʻi is $112. Drivers will receive one citation for every unrestrained occupant in the vehicle.
People that transport children are encouraged to check their child seats or booster seats during Click It or Ticket. For more information on child passenger safety seats and car seat checks, please visit www.kipchawaii.org
For more information on the Click It or Ticket mobilization, please visit NHTSA.gov/ciot
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