With statistics proving that rates of seat belt use among college-age drivers are the lowest of all other age groups, UALR’s Office of Campus Safety is putting the campus on notice of the upcoming national “Click It or Ticket” high-visibility enforcement campaign.

From May 19 through June 1, officers will be actively stopping motorists on campus for failing to abide by traffic laws. Anyone stopped who is not buckled up will be issued a ticket.

“You may get off with a warning for speeding, but if you aren’t wearing a seat belt, expect a ticket,” said campus officer Josh Webb, who is co-chairing the Click It or Ticket effort. “The bottom line is I’d be tickled if we didn’t have to write one ticket.”

According to the National Highway and Transportation Safety Agency, seat belts when worn properly are proven to reduce the risk of fatal injury to front-seat passenger car occupants by 45 percent and by 60 percent in pickup trucks, SUVs, and mini-vans. They are especially effective in rollover crashes and up to 80 percent effective in SUV or pickup truck rollovers.