As the Memorial Day holiday approaches, state officials are advising travelers on state roads to keep safety in mind.
Around 600,000 vehicles are expected to travel on the West Virginia Turnpike Thursday through Monday.
The West Virginia Governor’s Highway Safety Program reminds drivers and passengers to buckle their seat belt during the Click It or Ticket high visibility enforcement campaign and every day of the year.
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s national seat belt enforcement mobilization runs through June 4.
In 2021, 280 people lost their lives on West Virginia roads. Passenger vehicle fatalities totaled 184 people, with 74 of them confirmed as being unbuckled/unrestrained.
West Virginia’s seat belt use rate climbed to 92.5 percent in 2022, the highest use rate recorded in West Virginia.
At the current seat belt use rate, preliminary data shows unbuckled West Virginians are 18.21 times more likely to die in a crash than those who are properly restrained.