Massachusetts Click It or Ticket Campaign

According to the 2002 Annual Safety Belt Survey, Massachusetts' safety belt use rate was 51 percent, the lowest in the nation for any state with a safety belt use law. The usage goal for 2003 was 60 percent. The effort to improve the safety belt usage rate was centered on an enhanced Click It or Ticket campaign and subsequent evaluation waves. The Click It or Ticket Campaign Enhancement and Evaluation project consisted of two levels: Level I (law enforcement) and Level II (community education). Some of the strategies and activities for developed for both levels were as follows:

-Coordinated a statewide enforcement effort by requiring participation in pre-determined enforcement mobilizations, collectively known as Click It or Ticket. Participation in enforcement mobilization was required in order to receive funding.
-Selected 76 communities to participate in community education efforts, requiring the completion of three safety belt educational activities between February and May 2003.
-Gave 76 communities additional funding to purchase traffic safety equipment upon completion of the educational initiatives.

The Click It or Ticket Campaign Enhancement and Evaluation project's goals were to:

-Increase safety belt use in Massachusetts; and
-Evaluate the impact of adding educational activities to standard enforcement mobilization waves.

Gains in safety belt use included the following:

-Increased observed safety belt use rate by 11 percent among front seat occupants.
-Increased highway safety belt use from 50 percent in 2002 to 62 percent in 2003.
-Increased non-highway safety belt use from 46 percent in 2002 to 60 percent in 2003.