Starting Monday, May 19, police departments across the Valley will be looking for drivers who aren’t buckled up, thanks to grants from the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety.
The enhanced enforcement campaign, known as “Click It or Ticket,” aims to increase seat belt use and reduce traffic fatalities. The grant money helps departments pay for more patrols and overtime.
“They’ll be looking for people who are not wearing their seat belts,” said Lieutenant Jeff Carrion with the Goodyear Police Traffic Unit.
Goodyear Police Department is one of many Valley departments participating in the campaign, and while Lieutenant Carrion and his officers will be on the lookout for unbuckled drivers, Arizona’s laws around seat belt use are more relaxed than other states, as they’re considered a secondary violation.
“Which means officers don’t specifically pull you over for that; it will be another violation they pull you over for, and they see that violation at the same time,” Carrion said.
While seat belts are required in the front row, passengers 16 or older in the back row are not required to wear one. Additionally, anyone over 16 can legally ride in the bed of a truck in Arizona.
These less-strict laws contributed to Arizona receiving a “caution” rating in the Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety’s 2025 Roadmap to Safety Report.
“Unfortunately Arizona’s overall fatality numbers are going up at a time when nationally they’re decreasing slightly,” said Cathy Chase, President of the Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety.
According to ADOT’s 2023 crash data, passengers who are not wearing seat belts are 34 times more likely to die in a crash than passengers who do. Chase believes having a secondary enforcement seat belt law sends the wrong message to drivers.
“To people in Arizona, it’s saying, it’s not that important to wear a seatbelt; you should, but you kind of don’t have to,” Chase said.
With more than 300 crashes occurring daily across the state, law enforcement officers regularly witness the consequences of not buckling up.
“It’s a bad situation, when we go to a collision and there’s injuries involved,” Carrion said.
Regardless of the laws, statistics clearly show one of the ways to protect yourself is simple.
“The first step is to buckle up. Before you even move the car,” Carrion said.
The Click It or Ticket enhanced enforcement effort runs through June 1.
