With Thanksgiving being one of the busiest travel times of the year, the chances of being involved in a vehicle crash are greatly increased. Everyone wants you to get to the Thanksgiving table safely this year, so it’s critical to practice safe driving habits, like buckling your seat belt.

During the Thanksgiving holiday, the NOPD is teaming up with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on a high-visibility Click It or Ticket enforcement campaign from November 25-December 1, 2019, to work toward reducing the number of fatalities that occur when drivers and passengers fail to buckle up. If they spot you, officers will pull you over and issue a ticket.

During the 2017 Thanksgiving weekend (6 p.m. Wednesday, November 22, to 5:59 a.m. Monday, November 27), 365 people were killed in motor vehicle crashes nationwide. Nighttime proved even more deadly, with 57% of Thanksgiving weekend crashes occurring at night. Wearing a seat belt is the single most effective thing anyone can do to prevent injury or death in a vehicle crash. The Click It or Ticket campaign combines powerful messages about seat belt safety with increased patrolling for all unbuckled motorists.

“Our law enforcement personnel see the effects of unbuckled driving every day, and it’s a tragic, preventable loss of life and cause of injury,” NOPD Superintendent Shaun Ferguson said. “Whether you’re driving cross-country or across the street, you must wear your seat belt. The bottom line is this: That seat belt may very well mean the difference between life and death. This Thanksgiving, and every day of the year, remember – Click It or Ticket.”

For more information about traveling safely this Thanksgiving, please visit www.trafficsafetymarketing.gov/get-materials/seat-belts/click-it-or-ticket/thanksgiving-weekend.