North Dakota law enforcement agencies will be participating in a “Click It or Ticket” event, from July 1 through August 13.
The event is to encourage people to buckle up.
"It is part of our 'HEAT' strategy, which is 'Highway Enforcement of Aggressive Traffic," said North Dakota Department of Transportation Safety Public Information Manager Lauren Bjork. "We're running the HEAT strategy throughout the summer, encouraging people to wear their seat belts, drive sober and distraction free, and follow all posted speed limits."
Bjork said the “HEAT” strategy has proven to be successful in other states.
"People think there are more traffic crashes during the winter months, beacuse of the weather," Bjork said. "But our statistics show that more people have died from motor vehicle crashes in warm weather months, like May through October, than in cold weather months."
Since not buckling up is “secondary enforcement,” a driver has to be pulled over for another traffic violation.
"Our statistics show that in 2019, out of our 100 fatalities 47% of them were not wearing their seat belts," Bjork said. "So this is a reminder to wear that seat belt every time you get in a vehicle."