CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — With Memorial Day and the unofficial start of summer approaching, the Champaign County Sheriff’s Office is reminding drivers to “Click it or Ticket,” especially that weekend and in the week leading up to it.

Sheriff Dustin Heuerman said his office will be taking part in a nationwide high-visibility seatbelt enforcement initiative starting May 16 and going through Memorial Day. Deputies will be taking a “no-excuses” approach to enforcement and will issue citations at both day and night.

“Seat belt use should be an automatic habit for everyone,” Sheriff Heuerman said. “It’s not just safe; it’s the law. During this campaign, law enforcement agencies will be working together to ensure the message reaches all drivers and passengers. Buckling up is the simplest way to reduce injury or save a life in a crash.”

Heuerman added that the State of Illinois achieved a commendable 92.4% daytime seatbelt usage last year, but that means 7.6% of people still need to be reminded. While enforcement will happen at both day and night, a key focus of the “Click it or Ticket” campaign is on nighttime enforcement, when crash data in Illinois indicated fatal crashes happen more.

Illinois enacted its seatbelt law 40 years ago, becoming the third state in the nation to require seatbelt use for all vehicle occupants. The law was upgraded in 2003, allowing police officers to pull over and ticket drivers solely for failing to buckle up, and that led to a significant increase in compliance.

Data shows seat belt usage surged from 16% in 1985 to 92.4% in 2024.

The “Click It or Ticket” campaign is funded with federal highway safety funds administered by the Illinois Department of Transportation.