Police Participate in Fall 2025 Seat Belt Safety Campaign

Published on November 21, 2025

ARLINGTON, Va. – The Thanksgiving holiday is fast-approaching. Before you get on the road to visit family and friends, the Arlington County Police Department is reminding the public of the importance of buckling their seat belts by teaming up with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on the high visibility Click It or Ticket seat belt awareness campaign. From November 22 through November 30, the law enforcement community will be working together to reduce the number of fatalities that occur when vehicle passengers fail to buckle up. Wherever you're headed this Thanksgiving, the safest choices drivers and passengers can make is to buckle up.

According to NHTSA, there were 309 passenger vehicle occupants killed in traffic crashes across the nation during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend in 2023 (6 p.m. on Wednesday, November 22, to 5:59 a.m. on Monday, November 27). 44% of those passengers were unrestrained. It’s a misconception that people are safe in the back-seat unrestrained. 48% percent of all front-seat passenger vehicle occupants killed in crashes in 2023 nationwide were unrestrained, but 60% of those killed in back-seats were unrestrained. Wearing a seat belt is one of the most effective things anyone can do to prevent injury or death in a vehicle collision. The Click It or Ticket campaign combines powerful messages about seat belt safety with increased enforcement for unbuckled motorists.

Virginia law requires all occupants of motor vehicles to be restrained by a seat belt, regardless of where they are seated in the vehicle.  Children under age 8 must be secured in a property child safety seat, and rear-facing child seats must still be placed in the back seat of a vehicle.

To learn more about the NHTSA Click It or Ticket campaign, visit their website.