Nationwide Click It or Ticket mobilization
takes place from May 18 to 31
CARTERET, NJ – Borough law enforcement officers will join with police from around the country in cracking down on unbuckled motorists and passengers as part of the national “Click it or Ticket” campaign. Running May 18 to 31, the annual national mobilization utilizes high visibility seat belt checkpoints and saturation patrols, in combination with local and national publicity efforts, to reiterate the life-saving value of seat belts.
More than 100 law enforcement agencies throughout the state shared $600,000 in Click It or Ticket 2026 Seat Belt mobilization grants from the state Attorney General’s Office to initiate the campaign. Carteret received $7,000 to fund its participation, according to the police department.
“Seat belts are the single most effective tool drivers and passengers can use to protect themselves in a crash,” Police Chief Ted Nycz added. “This campaign aims to increase seat belt compliance and encourages all occupants of vehicles to reduce risk of injury or death by buckling up.”
According to the state Division of Highway Traffic Safety, 11,712 fatal New Jersey crashes have resulted in 12,464 fatalities and 7,903 injuries since 2006. Nearly half of motor vehicle occupants who died in these crashes were not wearing a seat belt.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that seat belt use reduces the risk of serious injury or death in a crash by 45 percent.
Following the 2025 Click It or Ticket campaign, New Jersey’s seat belt usage rate increased significantly, reaching 94.97 percent for front-seat occupants, up from 90.51 percent in 2024, according to the Attorney General’s Office. Driver compliance improved to 95.11 percent, while front-seat passengers rose to 94.22 percent, marking one of the highest compliance gains in recent years and exceeding the 91.2 percent national rate.
