Albany County Sheriff Implements 'Click It or Ticket' Campaign

The Albany County Sheriff's Office is reminding motorists to wear their seat belts with the “Click It or Ticket” campaign, which will continue through June 2.

The local campaign is linked to the state and national Click-it-or-Ticket campaigns, which also run until June 2.

In the words of the sheriff's message: The aim of this campaign is to remind drivers and passengers not only of the importance of wearing seat belts, but also of the consequences of not wearing one. Remember, slow down and buckle up: all the cool kids do it! Have a safe holiday weekend.”

According to the National Highway Traffic Administration, about half of the 25,420 passenger vehicle occupants killed on U.S. highways in 2022 were not wearing seat belts.

Wyoming ranks below the national average for seat belt use

NHTSA says seat belt use in Wyoming between 2015 and 2022 averaged 79.8%, well below the national average of 88.5%. One of Wyoming's neighbors, South Dakota, ranks even lower, with a utilization of just over 73 percent.

In 2020, the agency urged Wyoming to make failure to use a seat belt a primary offense, meaning motorists could be ticketed for not wearing a seat belt even if they are not arrested for another offense, such as speeding. Under current state law, failure to use a seat belt is a secondary offense, meaning people can only receive a ticket if they are first arrested for another offense.

But efforts by the Wyoming Legislature to make failure to wear a seat belt a primary offense have so far had little success.