BOISE – The Idaho Transportation Department’s Office of Highway Safety is partnering with law enforcement agencies statewide for the 2026 Click It or Ticket campaign, running May 11–31. Officers will increase patrols to educate Idahoans on the importance of seat belt use, with a particular focus on rural areas where fatalities are most common.
Of the 160 people in passenger vehicles over age 7 who were killed in Idaho in 2024, only 62 were wearing seat belts. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), seat belts cut the risk of death and serious injury in half. Based on that effectiveness, an estimated 62 Idahoans survived crashes in 2024 because they buckled up.
“More Idahoans are buckling up, but we need to do better to prevent fatal and serious injury crashes,” said Josephine Middleton, Highway Safety Manager. “Taking two seconds to buckle up makes you 50% more likely to survive a crash.”
People not wearing seatbelts continue to make up a disproportionate share of Idaho’s traffic deaths. The high-visibility enforcement effort is part of a national campaign coordinated by NHTSA.
OHS urges drivers and passengers to buckle up every trip and ensure children are secured in the proper car seat or booster.
For more information, visit shift-idaho.org.