Number 329 May 2007

Traffic Safety Facts

Traffic Tech – Technology Transfer Series

U.S. Department of Transportation 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

May 2004 Click It or Ticket Seat Belt 

Mobilization Evaluation

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Air 

Bag & Seat Belt Safety Campaign of the National Safety Council, 

in conjunction with thousands of State and local law enforcement 

agencies, conduct annual national seat belt mobilizations. Because 

a large number of States currently use the Click It or Ticket slogan 

(over 30), these national mobilizations were often referred to as 

Click It or Ticket campaigns. In May 2004, the seat belt mobilization 

included a two-week high-visibility enforcement blitz, running 

from May 24th through the Memorial Day holiday.

Paid Media Activity

Two major types of media buys occurred for the May 2004 

mobilization. First, States used nearly $20 million in TEA-21 

grant funding to purchase local television, radio, and print 

media advertisements. Second, the Federal Government released 

roughly $12 million for a national media buy. Media content 

carried an enforcement centered message that was clear and to 

the point (e.g., if you’re not wearing a seat belt you will receive a 

ticket). Of the media types, television was predominantly used. 

Radio was used to a lesser extent.

An additional paid advertisement, targeting seat belt use 

among pickup truck occupants, was aired for two weeks across 

five south-central States: Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, 

Oklahoma, and Texas. The advertisements were timed to occur 

just before May mobilization activities.

High Visibility Enforcement

Approximately 7,515 law enforcement agencies across the 50 

States, the District of Columbia, and two U.S. Territories reported 

on May mobilization activities. They reported 657,305 seat belt 

citations during the enforcement period. States with primary 

seat belt use laws issued tickets at a greater rate per resident than 

States with secondary laws.

Seat Belt Use Changes

Immediately after the May mobilization paid media and highvisibility enforcement concluded, the States measured overall 

front seat occupant seat belt use and compared these rates to the 

2003 rates. Among the 50 States and the District of Columbia, 

the number that increased in belt use far exceeded the number 

that decreased (42 States versus 7 States; 2 States remained 

unchanged). See Table 1.

Table 1: Change in Statewide Belt Use (2004 versus 2003)

Number of States/territories reporting by law type

Improved Did Not Improve

Total (51) 42 9

Primary law (21) 17 4

Secondary law (30) 25 5

Statewide survey results averaged across the 50 States and the 

District of Columbia measured seat belt use in 2004 at 79 percent, 

a 2.4-percentage-point increase from 2003 (76.6 %). Like previous 

years, the 2004 seat belt use rates in primary law locations 

generally measured higher compared to secondary law locations. 

While gains in seat belt use were measured in both primary law 

and secondary law locations, the group of primary law locations 

continued to measure 12 percentage points higher (2003, 83.8% 

versus 71.6%; 2004, 85.9% versus 74.1%).

Telephone Survey Results

The national telephone survey included 2,401 respondents, with 

1,200 respondents in the pre-wave, 1,201 in the post-wave. Results 

indicated that respondents became more aware of high-visibility 

enforcement efforts directed at seat belts. Pre/post survey results 

also indicated that respondents perceived an increase in highvisibility enforcement activity towards seat belt use (See Figure 

1). Two measures of perceived high-visibility enforcement 

increased over the course of the mobilization and more motorists 

claimed “police in their communities were writing more tickets 

now than before” and a “ticket for nonuse was more likely now 

than before.” 
Figure 1: Past 30 Days, Seen or Heard of Special Police Efforts 

Toward Seat Belts

TRAFFIC TECH is a publication to disseminate information 

about traffic safety programs, including evaluations, innovative 

programs, and new publications. Feel free to copy it as you wish. 

If you would like to receive a copy, contact Melissa Cheung, MPH, 

Editor, fax 202-366-7096, e-mail: traffic.tech@.dot.gov.

100

60

40

20

0

70

83

Yes*

80

April (N=1,200)

June (N=1,201)

Observational surveys measured a dramatic increase in seat 

belt use in Amarillo compared to Wichita Falls. Increases were 

greatest among pickup truck occupants (+12) in Amarillo, 

narrowing the car-pickup truck disparity in seat belt use by 4 

percentage points. See Table 2.

Table 2

Percentage Point Change in Seat Belt Use; Buckle Up in Your 

Truck – Amarillo, November 2004

Site Baseline Post Diff.

Amarillo, TX 

(N=2,400)

Car 81% 89% +8

Pickup 72% 84% +12

Wichita Falls, TX 

(N=2,400)

Car 84% 88% +5

Pickup 77% 82% +5

Discussion

Approximately $30 million was spent on advertising highvisibility enforcement messages nationwide during the Click 

It or Ticket mobilization. Law enforcement across the Nation 

issued more than 650,000 seat belt tickets during a two-week 

high-visibility enforcement phase. Belt use increased in 41 of 50 

States and in the District of Columbia. Observational surveys 

also showed increased belt use among pickup truck occupants 

targeted with a special seat belt campaign.

Driver surveys indicated that there was a high awareness of 

media messages and that the Click It or Ticket slogan gained 

much attention. Results also indicated that over the past 

few years and the course of several national mobilizations, 

support for tough seat belt laws and high visibility enforcement 

remains strong.

This evaluation confirmed that intensive, short-term, and wellpublicized high-visibility enforcement can produce gains in 

seat belt use. Every year, increased seat belt use saves billions of 

dollars in costs to society, and saves lives and prevents injuries.

How to Order

For a copy of May 2004 Click It Or Ticket Seat Belt Mobilization 

Evaluation (29 pages plus appendices) write to the Office of 

Behavioral Safety Research, NHTSA, NTI-130, 1200 New Jersey 

Avenue SE., Washington DC 20590, send a fax to 202-366-7096, 

or download from www.dot.gov. Linda Cosgrove, Ph.D. was the 

contract manager. 

The Buckle Up in Your Truck Program

Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas, 

conducted a special two-week paid advertisement campaign 

immediately preceding their May mobilizations titled Buckle 

Up in Your Truck. This campaign delivered a safety message 

emphasizing the importance of seat belts to prevent ejection 

during vehicle rollovers. 

Observational surveys of seat belt use tracked the seat belt usage 

rate before, during, and after the May program and the Buckle 

Up in Your Truck program. The surveys found a minimal increase 

in belt use one week after the Buckle Up in Your Truck ad spots 

began airing (+2 percentage points for occupants in pickups; +1 

for occupants in passenger cars). A larger increase was measured 

soon after the high-visibility enforcement part of Click It or Ticket

concluded. Pickup truck occupant belt use measured 8 points 

higher as compared to the baseline observations. Comparably, 

belt use for passenger car occupants measured 6 points higher.

Seat Belt Use in Pickup Trucks Increases in 

Amarillo, Texas

The Texas Department of Transportation chose Amarillo to 

further test the effectiveness of Buckle Up in Your Truck paid 

publicity and community outreach. Wichita Falls was selected as 

a comparison community. Amarillo received an unprecedented 

level of Buckle Up in Your Truck paid advertisement publicity 

during November 2004; Wichita Falls received no Buckle Up 

in Your Truck paid publicity. This was the first time that paid 

publicity was purchased specifically to reach pickup truck 

occupants in the Amarillo market area. Both communities 

received some Click It or Ticket publicity. 

1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., NTI-130

Washington, DC 20590