AUSTIN — The Texas Department of Transportation is urging teens to buckle up as part of its annual Click It or Ticket campaign, citing state data showing young drivers are disproportionately involved in crashes and fatalities.
Teens and young adults ages 15 to 20 make up nearly 9% of Texas’ population but were involved in 19% of all motor vehicle crashes in 2024, according to TxDOT, which cited data from the Texas Peace Officer’s Crash Report.
Of the young people killed in those crashes, 132 were not wearing a seat belt.
Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death among teens nationwide, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
“Teens will shape our communities for years to come, but the simple choice to buckle up — or not — can be the difference between a bright future or a young life cut short,” TxDOT Executive Director Marc Williams said in a statement.
As part of the campaign, TxDOT is partnering with more than 1,500 high schools across the state for its “Saved by the Belt” challenge, encouraging students to pledge to wear a seat belt every time they get in a vehicle.
Students can participate through Feb. 27.
TxDOT officials said seat belts remain the most effective protection against serious injury or death in a crash.
The agency also reminded Texans that state law requires all drivers and passengers to wear seat belts, regardless of where they sit in the vehicle. Violators can face fines and court costs of up to $200.
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