New Jersey officials have launched the state’s annual “Click It or Ticket” campaign, a statewide enforcement and public awareness initiative aimed at increasing seat belt use and reducing traffic deaths and injuries ahead of the busy summer travel season.

The campaign, announced by AG Jennifer Davenport and the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety, runs from May 18 through May 31 and will include increased patrols by law enforcement agencies across the state. Officers will focus on drivers and passengers who are not wearing seat belts, as well as ensuring children are properly secured in car seats, booster seats, or seat belts.

To support the effort, the Division of Highway Traffic Safety is distributing $774,760 in grant funding to 113 law enforcement agencies throughout New Jersey. The funding will be used for seat belt enforcement, child passenger restraint compliance efforts, and public awareness activities.

Under New Jersey law, all drivers and passengers must wear seat belts, and drivers are responsible for ensuring passengers under age 18 are properly restrained. Children younger than 8 years old and shorter than 57 inches are required to use an appropriate child restraint system based on their age, height, and weight.

State officials said seat belt use in New Jersey remains among the highest in the nation. Following last year’s “Click It or Ticket” campaign, front-seat seat belt use in the state reached nearly 95 percent, according to an observational study conducted by the New Jersey Institute of Technology and funded by the Division of Highway Traffic Safety. That rate is approximately four percentage points above the national average.

Despite the high compliance rate, officials said unrestrained passengers continue to account for a significant number of roadway deaths. In 2024, 135 people killed in crashes in New Jersey were not wearing seat belts, representing 43 percent of all vehicle occupant fatalities statewide. Among those deaths, one in four unrestrained victims were between the ages of 21 and 30.

Officials also emphasized the importance of restraint use in every seating position, noting that back-seat passengers who are not buckled up can increase the risk of injury to everyone in the vehicle during a crash.

During the 2025 “Click It or Ticket” campaign, participating agencies issued 5,352 seat belt summonses, along with 2,624 speeding citations and 706 cell phone violations, reflecting the broader enforcement focus on dangerous driving behaviors.

This year’s campaign coincides with Memorial Day weekend, traditionally one of the busiest travel periods of the year. State officials noted that the period between Memorial Day and Labor Day historically sees increased traffic volume and a higher risk of serious crashes on New Jersey roadways.

The Division of Highway Traffic Safety said additional summer enforcement initiatives targeting speeding, impaired driving, and Move Over law violations are also planned in the coming months.