TxDOT gives wake-up call for Texas teens to always buckle up

Nearly half of teens killed in traffic crashes were not wearing seat belts

Texas teenagers have big dreams for the future, and a simple click can help keep them alive.

TxDOT’s Teen Click It or Ticket campaign is urging all teens to buckle up—every seat, every ride. Texas has seen a rising trend in teens not wearing their seat belt in a crash, jumping up 6% from 2022 to 2023. Out of the 296 teens that died in traffic crashes in Texas in 2023, 49% were not wearing their seat belts at the time of the crash. Buckling up takes just seconds—but those seconds save lives.

“These fatalities serve as a sobering wake-up call,” said TxDOT Executive Director Marc D. Williams. “Every time someone gets in a car and skips buckling up, they’re taking a deadly gamble. In the event of a crash, seat belts can give you the best chance to survive, and yet far too many Texas teens are still skipping this critical safety step.”

The Teen Click It or Ticket campaign will travel the state from Jan. 30 – Feb. 15, visiting high schools and community colleges in areas with the lowest percentages of teen seat belt use:

• Jan. 30: El Paso Community College (Valle Verde campus)
• Feb. 3: San Antonio (Palo Alto Community College)
• Feb. 4: Austin (Glenn High School)
• Feb. 6: Brownwood (Howard Payne University)
• Feb. 11: Lufkin (Hudson High School)
• Feb. 13: Houston (Houston Community College-Felix Fraga Academic Campus)

The tour will include a trailer with the wreckage from a truck crash involving two teenagers who walked away with minor injuries because they were wearing seat belts. It will also include a vehicle featuring screens displaying safety information.

Buckling up isn’t just the safest choice, it’s the law. Unbuckled drivers and passengers—even those in the back seat—can face fines and fees of up to $200.

The campaign calls on parents, schools and communities to encourage teens to develop the habit of buckling up, whether they are drivers or passengers. It’s also a reminder to parents and educators that being an example matters and teens are more likely to wear seat belts when adults model the same behavior.

The Teen Click It or Ticket campaign is a key component of #EndTheStreakTX, a broader social media and word-of-mouth effort that encourages drivers to make safer choices while behind the wheel to help end the streak of daily deaths. Nov. 7, 2000, was the last deathless day on Texas roadways.

For media inquiries, contact TxDOT Media Relations at MediaRelations@TxDOT.gov or 512-463-8700.