Law Enforcement Eyeing Seatbelt Use Over Memorial Day Holiday

Law enforcement will be keeping an extra eye on seatbelt use this Memorial Day weekend.

The Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau is partnering with law enforcement across Iowa to support the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Click It. Don’t Risk It. high-visibility enforcement effort. The national seat belt campaign kicked off Monday and runs through June 1st. 

The Bureau says it’s perceived that everyone wears a seat belt, but data shows that’s not true. Last year, 44% of traffic fatalities in Iowa were unbuckled – that translates to 108 lives lost. In a survey of over 1,450 Iowans, 88% reported always buckling up in the front seat – but only 67% always buckle in the back seat. 

Bureau Chief Brett Tjepkes says no matter the type of vehicle you’re traveling in, where you’re seated, or what type of road you’re driving on, the best way to protect yourself in a crash is to buckle up.