IDOT, ISP: Buckle up and drive sober. It could save your life during Memorial Day holiday travel

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Transportation, Illinois State Police and more than 200 law enforcement agencies throughout the state are participating in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s high-visibility “Click It or Ticket” campaign to stop seat belt law violators and impaired drivers. During the campaign, law enforcement will step up efforts to ticket unbelted motorists and arrest drivers impaired by alcohol, drugs or other substances.

“Make sure everyone in your vehicle, whether they’re in the front seat or back seat, is buckled up before hitting the road this Memorial Day weekend,” said Stephane B. Seck-Birhame, IDOT’s bureau chief of Safety Programs and Engineering. “Not only is a seat belt your best defense if you’re in a crash, wearing one is the law in Illinois.”

Forty years ago, Illinois became the third state to mandate seat belt usage, requiring drivers and front-seat passengers 8 and older to wear seat belts. Those younger than 8 have to be secured in appropriate car seats. According to IDOT, in 2024 the Illinois seat belt usage rate was 92.4% compared to a 15.2% usage rate in 1985.The estimated lives saved by seat belts in Illinois from since 1985 is 20,823. ​ 

The “Click It or Ticket” campaign comes in advance of the “100 Deadliest days of summer,” which historically marks an increase in fatalities between Memorial Day and Labor Day. The increase in traffic and behaviors associated with crashes that come during summer holiday weekends almost always correlate with an increase in fatalities. Last year’s Memorial Day weekend – the period from 6 p.m. Friday to 11:59 p.m. Monday – saw 18 crashes resulting in 19 deaths in Illinois.

“ISP troopers focus on preventing the leading causes of fatal crashes – speeding, distracted driving, seat belt violations and impaired driving,” said ISP Division of Patrol Col. Chris Owen. “This Memorial Day, and every day, avoid becoming a statistic – buckle up, slow down, pay attention and don't drive impaired.”

For more information on the “Click It or Ticket” Memorial Day campaign, visit www.buckleupillinois.org. The effort is administered by IDOT with federal funds and coincides with the comprehensive multimedia campaign “It's Not a Game.”

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