Texas DOT Partners with Schools in Teen Seatbelt Campaign

Teenage motorists are notoriously averse to seatbelt usage, and seatbelt rates in this category of motorists are at unacceptably low levels. The Texas Department of Transportation wants to change that.

Every year, the agency makes a concerted effort to increase seat belt use among teenage drivers, and collaborates with schools across Texas to promote seatbelt usage through the Teen Click It or Ticket campaign. The campaign is based on the very successful Click It or Ticket campaigns that have been conducted by state transportation agencies across the country.

This year, the Texas Department of Transportation is partnering with more than 750 high schools across the state of Texas. The point is to educate teenagers about the need to buckle up while driving.

Houston car accident lawyers find that teen drivers continue to remain at a high risk of accidents, even though the number of accident fatalities in all other categories of drivers is down. In fact, automobile accidents remain the number one cause of unintentional teenage deaths in the United States. According to statistics by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, teenage drivers are involved in fatal crashes at a rate that’s 3 times as high as for other drivers.

Texas also sees high numbers of teen driver-related accidents every year. In 2011, there were more than 1,000 auto accidents, which seriously or fatally injured Texas teenagers between the age of 15 and 20. That same year, there were 295 teenage passengers and drivers killed in auto accidents in the state of Texas. Out of these, close to 50%, were not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the accident.