PennDOT, State Police Participating in 'Click It or Ticket' Enforcement

Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and its safety partners want to make sure drivers buckle up as part of its “Click It or Ticket” enforcement through June 4.

PennDOT data shows there were 1,179 statewide roadway fatalities in 2022, including 354 who were not wearing a seat belt. In PennDOT’s District 1, which includes Crawford, Erie, Forest, Mercer, Venango, and Warren counties, there were 20 unbelted fatalities among the 69 total roadway deaths last year.

“Approximately 90 percent of motorists in Pennsylvania wear their seat belt, but that still leaves the remaining 10 percent unprotected by not using their best defense against death or serious injury in the event of a crash,” said PennDOT District 1 Executive Brian McNulty, P.E. “The numbers are clear – seat belts save lives.”

Wearing a seat belt increases the chance of survival in a crash by up to 60 percent and can keep drivers secure in their vehicles, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Through the initiative, Pennsylvania State Police and hundreds of municipal law enforcement agencies across the state and elsewhere are reminding motorists that driving or riding without a seat belt will result in a ticket, no matter where they are.

Pennsylvania law requires drivers and passengers 18 years and older to wear a seat belt when behind the wheel or in the front passenger seat of a vehicle.