News

Please note: this press release may not reflect MDOT MVA Current Operations.  
Click here to see the most up to date informatio​n on our operations.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
5/20/2021
Contact: Motor Vehicle Administration
Office of Media Relations
Whitney Nichels,

*MEDIA ADVISORY*

Seat Belt Enforcement Kicks Off Maryland Click It or Ticket Campaign

WHAT:

Representatives from the Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration (MDOT MVA), the Harford County Sheriff’s Office, and Baltimore County Police Department will be available for one-on-one media interviews to discuss the Click It or Ticket initiative and the importance of wearing a seat belt in every seat, every ride. In 2020, 569 lives were lost on Maryland highways in vehicle crashes and statistics show that every year, one in three vehicle occupants who died in crashes was not wearing a seat belt. The Maryland State Police, Harford County Sheriff’s Office, Baltimore County Police Department, and the Department of Natural Resources Police, with the support of MDOT MVA’s Highway Safety Office will conduct seat belt checks in a channelization effort with the assistance from the MDOT State Highway Administration’s Churchville and Golden Ring shops. At the media event, there will be opportunities to gather b-roll video of seat belt enforcement.

WHERE:
US 1 (Belair Road) between New Cut Road and Reckord Road
Baltimore/Harford County Line

WHEN:
Monday, May 24, 2021

11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

WHO:
Chrissy Nizer, Administrator, MDOT MVA and Governor Larry Hogan’s Highway Safety Representative

Officer Danielle Moore, Baltimore County Police Department
Sergeant Michael Lane, Harford County Sheriff’s Office

INFO:
More than 35 law enforcement agencies across the state are enforcing Click It or Ticket with a multi-state Border-to-Border (B2B) effort – a national one-day effort that includes an enforcement period to address seat belt use.  Local and national ads will air on billboards, television, radio and online through early June to generate awareness.     

  • In 2020, 89.9% of Maryland drivers and front-seat passengers wore seat belts when traveling state roadways. This is a decrease from 90.4% and 90.3% in 2019 and 2018, respectively.
  • In vehicles where the driver is buckled, 90% of passengers buckle up as well. In vehicles with unbuckled drivers, only 46% of passengers buckle up.  ​
  • In Maryland, every driver and passenger must wear a seat belt. Children under the age of 8 must be in an appropriate booster or child safety seat unless they are 4 feet 9 inches or taller. If any passengers older than 16 years old are not wearing a seat belt, the driver can receive an $83 ticket for each offense.
  • Learn more about the MDOT MVA’s Highway Safety Office at ZeroDeathsMD.gov or on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @ZeroDeathsMD.       

###