MILLIONS OF TEXANS STILL NOT WEARING SEATBELTS

TxDOT partners with law enforcement to urge everyone to “Click it or Ticket.”  

ATLANTA ­– Not wearing a seat belt is a common mistake in Texas.

In the Atlanta District in 2022, there were 102 motor vehicle traffic crashes in which unrestrained occupants sustained fatal or severe injuries. These crashes resulted in 32 fatalities and 79 serious injuries. The Atlanta District includes Bowie, Camp, Cass, Harrison, Marion, Morris, Panola, Titus, and Upshur Counties.

In Texarkana in 2022, there were four motor vehicle traffic crashes in which unrestrained occupants sustained fatal or severe injuries. These crashes resulted in one fatality and three serious injuries.

“Seatbelts save lives. It’s the most important precaution to protect yourself from serious injury or death in a crash,” said TxDOT Atlanta District Engineer Rebecca Wells.

Statewide in 2022, 1,258 people who were not wearing their seat belts were killed, a 2.5% increase from the previous year.

“Everyone must take just a few seconds to buckle up, every ride, every time,” said TxDOT Executive Director Marc Williams. “Wearing a seat belt is one of the most important precautions motorists and their passengers can take to protect themselves in a crash. Whatever reason you may have for not buckling up, I promise it’s not worth your life.”

While more than 90% of Texans make the right choice to wear a seat belt, that still means 10% of Texans make the dangerous choice to stay unprotected on the road. TxDOT’s goal is to get 100% of drivers and passengers to wear seat belts 100% of the time.

From May 22 through June 4, including Memorial Day Weekend, law enforcement from around the state will work overtime and ticket motorists who did not buckle up. State law requires that every person in a vehicle be secured by a seat belt, whether riding in the front or back seat.

Fines and court costs for failing to fasten seat belts can add up to $250 or more.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates TxDOT’s “Click It or Ticket” initiative has saved more than 7,399 lives, prevented more than 120,000 serious injuries, and resulted in $28.5 billion in economic savings since its inception in 2002.

TxDOT’s “Click It or Ticket” campaign is a critical component of #EndTheStreakTX, a broader social media and word-of-mouth effort that encourages drivers to make safer choices while behind the wheel to help end the streak of daily deaths. Nov. 7, 2000, was the last deathless day on Texas roadways.

For media inquiries, contact TxDOT Atlanta District Public Information Officer Heather Deaton at Heather.Deaton@TxDOT.gov or (903) 799-1306.

Follow TxDOT’s Atlanta District on Facebook @TxDOTAtlantaTX, Twitter @TxDOTAtlanta, and Nextdoor. 

TxDOT Atlanta District

May 21 – May 27, 2023

Bowie County 

• I-30 – From FM 989 to AR State Line, reconstructing and widening the highway, concrete paving in the median.
• I-30 – From FM 989 to FM 3419, an extension of frontage roads. FM 2148 closed under the I-30 bridge. 
• I-30 – Eastbound from FM 2253 past FM 3419, bridgework, with one lane, closed from 8:30 am – 6:00 pm.
• SH 8 – At Sulphur River, replacing bridges 
• SH 98 – At Anderson Creek, bridge replacement, with traffic restricted to one lane, with signal lights controlling traffic through the work zone.

 Camp County 

• SL 255 – From FM 1520 to US 271, constructing a highway, County Road 2120 detoured 

Cass County

• SH 8 – At Sulphur River, replacing bridges 
• US 67 – Widening bridge at Jennings Slough, lanes open to traffic, seal coat scheduled 
• US 59 – From 1.2 miles south of FM 2328N to 1.9 miles south of FM 2328S, resurfacing road, bridge rail improvements. Lane closures 
• US 59 – From SL 236 to FM 3129, resurfacing road 

  Harrison County 

• US 59 – At I-20, replacing the bridge. US 59 traffic shifted to southbound lanes. 
• I-20 – Concrete pavement repairs. Daytime lane closures 
• SH 43 – At Kansas City Southern Railroad in Karnack, the bridge over the railroad is widening. Roadway open 
• FM 3001 – At Little Cypress Bayou Relief. Replacing bridge. Temporary traffic signals in place, lane closure with two-way traffic 
• FM 449 – From FM 450 to SL 390. Seal coat operations, lane closures 
• US 80 – From SL 281 to Tom Brown Parkway, installing safety barrier cable 

Morris County

• I-30 – Eastbound at Exit 178, US 259, ramp rehabilitation. Eastbound lane closure 

Panola County 

• US 59 (Loop) – From Business 59 north of Carthage to US 79 east, rehabilitating highway, daytime lane closures 
• SH 149 – 0.8 miles south of SH 315 to US 59. Widening road 
• FM 1970 – From US 79 to SH 315. Seal coat operations, lane closures 
• FM 2517 – From FM 31 to Louisiana line. Seal coat operations, lane closures 

 Titus County

• US 271 – At Dickson Creek, Big Slough Creek, White Oak Creek & White Oak Creek Relief, replacing bridges 

  Upshur County 

• US 271 – From 5.9 miles north of SH 155 to 1.5 miles north of SH 155, resurfacing road

 TxDOT Paris District

May 21 – May 27, 2023

Delta, Lamar, and Red River Counties

Contacts: Paris Area Office (903) 784-1357; Delta Co. Maintenance (903) 395-2139; Lamar Co. Maintenance (903) 785-4468; Red River Co. Maintenance (903) 427-3561.

SH 37, Red River County: from US 82 to the Texas-Oklahoma state line, watch for temporary lane and shoulder closures while crews resurface the roadway and perform bridge maintenance.

FM 38, Lamar County: from US 82 to US 82. Watch for temporary lane and shoulder closures while crews improve drainage structures and upgrade bridge rail and metal-beam guard fence.

FM 1487, Red River County: from FM 909 to FM 910. Watch for temporary lane closures while crews widen and rehabilitate the existing pavement and improve drainage structures.

Loop 286, Lamar County: from FM 1497 around the north loop to FM 1507, watch for temporary lane and shoulder closures and traffic merges while crews improve guardrail and drainage structures and perform bridge maintenance.

Loop 286, Lamar County: from US 271 North going west to FM 79. Watch for temporary lane and shoulder closures, lane shifts, crossing closures, and merging traffic while crews place a bonded concrete surface and perform asphalt paving operations.

Loop 286 / US 271 South Interchange, Lamar County: from Dawn Drive going south to the North Loop 286 turnaround. Watch for temporary lane and shoulder closures, lane shifts, and traffic merges while crews improve guardrails and perform bridge maintenance.

Loop 286 at BU 271 (Clarksville Street), Lamar County: Exit ramp from southbound Loop 286 onto BU 271. Watch for temporary exit ramp closure while crews repair the adjacent metal beam guard fence.

FM 64, Delta County: from FM 128 to SH 1532. Watch for temporary lane closures while crews rehabilitate the existing pavement and improve drainage structures.

FM 2675, Delta County: from Lamar County line to FM 128, watch for temporary lane closures while crews rehabilitate the existing pavement and improve drainage structures.

BU 271 (North Main Street), Lamar County: from Santa Fe Street to one-quarter mile north of Stone Avenue, watch for temporary lane closures while crews install the sidewalk.

US 82, Lamar County: at the FM 1502 intersection, watch for temporary lane closures, traffic, and lane shifts as crews widen the roadway to install a left-turn lane and improve drainage structures.

Cedar / Church Street (Clarksville, Texas), Red River County: Watch for road closure while crews remove and replace the existing bridge at the intersection of Cedar and Church Street in Clarksville, Texas. 

Hopkins, Franklin Counties

Contacts: Sulphur Springs Area Office (903) 885-9514; Franklin Co. Maintenance (903) 537-4976; Hopkins Co. Maintenance (903) 885-4031.

I-30, Franklin County: from SH 37 to County Road 3050. Watch for single-lane closures and delays as crews perform pavement widening for the truck parking area.