MEMORIAL DAY SEAT BELT CRACKDOWN
VIDEO NEWS STORY
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It’s one of the most colorful events in Texas: the Art Car Parade in Houston.
And this year’s parade offered a great opportunity for TxDOT to drive home an important message: Click It or Ticket.

These giant inflatable characters are just part of a major statewide campaign to get more Texans to wear their safety belts.

The giant characters are making the rounds to cities across the state—from just outside the Ballpark in Arlington…to the Water Gardens in Fort Worth… to Discovery Green in Houston… with more stops along the way.

This lighthearted approach to a serious safety matter is primarily aimed at younger drivers and passengers who are less likely to buckle up.

PERSON ON STREET INTERVIEWS (3) NO NAME SUPERS
BUTTS TO SOUNDBITE WITH POLICE OFFICER
NAME SUPER ON OFFICER: Officer Jeremy Benoit, Austin Police Department

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Like many law enforcement officers across Texas this holiday weekend, he’ll be on the look-out for drivers and passengers who aren’t buckled up and for kids who aren’t safely secured.

State law requires that anyone under 17 years old must be secured with a safety belt or in a child safety seat, no matter where they’re riding.

Drivers and front seat passengers can be ticketed for not wearing their safety belts, and so can drivers who do not buckle up their children. Safety belt violations can result in fines ranging from $25 to $200.

This is Kathleen Jennings reporting.

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