May 2006 Click It or Ticket Seat Belt Mobilization Evaluation: Final Report

Tison, Julie; Solomon, M. G. (Mark Geoffrey); Nichols, James L.; Gilbert, Stephanie H.; Siegler, John; Cosgrove, Linda A. · 2008 · ROSA P / United States. Department of Transportation. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

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Summary

This report evaluates the May 2006 "Click It or Ticket" (CIOT) national seat belt mobilization, a coordinated enforcement and publicity campaign administered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The study addresses the effectiveness of Selective Traffic Enforcement Programs (STEPs) in increasing seat belt usage, specifically examining whether the 2006 mobilization improved compliance rates compared to previous years. The evaluation was motivated by the need to assess the impact of the campaign under the new SAFETEA-LU authorization, which granted states greater autonomy in campaign implementation compared to prior regulations. The methodology involved collecting data on paid and earned media expenditures, law enforcement activities, and statewide observational surveys of seat belt use. NHTSA spent $9.2 million on national media, while states spent approximately $17 million on local advertisements. Law enforcement agencies reported issuing 697,115 citations during the two-week enforcement period. The study also analyzed trends in ticketing levels from 2002 to 2006 using random samples of law enforcement agencies and examined seat belt use rates in fatal crashes using the Fatality Analysis Reporting System. Additionally, the report evaluated four NHTSA regionwide demonstration programs that targeted specific low-use groups, such as pickup truck occupants and rural drivers, using modified enforcement durations and targeted media. The findings indicate that seat belt use increased in 37 of 50 states and territories between 2005 and 2006. Increases were more prevalent in states with primary seat belt laws (79%) than in those with secondary laws (69%). However, the report highlights a declining trend: the number of states reporting improved belt use and the magnitude of those improvements have decreased annually since national mobilizations began in 2002. Enforcement activity also declined; agencies serving larger populations issued statistically fewer tickets in 2006 compared to previous years. The National Occupant Protection Usage Survey showed no improvement in the nationwide seat belt use rate between 2005 and 2006. Demonstration programs targeting specific groups yielded mixed results, with some increases in belt use occurring after the main campaign phase rather than during it. The significance of these findings lies in the diminishing returns of the standard CIOT model. The report concludes that while STEPs remain effective, the consistent decline in both enforcement intensity and observed usage gains suggests a need for modification. NHTSA is encouraged to continue testing variations in targeting, duration, and timing of program elements. The study underscores the importance of fully implementing both enforcement and enforcement-centered media to maintain the perception of high enforcement risk among motorists, which is critical for sustaining behavioral change.

Key finding

Seat belt use increased in 37 states between 2005 and 2006, but the nationwide seat belt use rate did not improve and the percentage of states reporting gains has declined annually since 2002.

Methodology

dataset

Provenance

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Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-10; verification: verified.

Topics

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• seat belt use
• public messaging
• child passenger safety

Information type

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• Applied Guidance: countermeasure evaluation, policy recommendations
• Empirical Findings: observational prevalence