RALEIGH, N.C. -- You may be taking time off for the holidays, but law enforcement across North Carolina are out in full-force, conducting checkpoints across the state. 

  • 47 percent of passengers killed in vehicles last year were not wearing a seatbelt
  • If you’re caught not wearing a seatbelt in North Carolina, you can receive up to a $179 fine
  • For more information on the Click It or Ticket campaign, visit their website

Experts say the Thanksgiving season is one of the deadliest times of year on our roads. According to the Governor’s Highway Safety Program, 47 percent of passengers killed in vehicles last year were not wearing a seatbelt.  That’s why one of the main focuses of 'Click It or Ticket' is making sure people are buckled up.

The program’s director, Mark Ezzell, sat down with Spectrum News anchor Caroline Blair for a look at the program. According to the organization’s statistics, 49 percent of people ages 18-34 who were killed in crashes last year also didn’t have on seatbelts. 

According to the GHSP, 414 of the 1,400 people on North Carolina roads were not wearing seatbelts. That means preventing danger is a key reason to wear your seatbelt. Not a good enough reason for you?  If you’re caught not wearing a seatbelt in North Carolina, you can receive up to a $179 fine.

To try and help those who choose not to get behind the wheel, the GHSP is joining with the ride sharing company Lyft to offer promotion codes and a contest, in an effort to meet the goal of no deaths on roads this holiday season. 

The special two week campaign in Charlotte will offer $5 off your ride by using the code CLICKITORTICKET.  Also, if you post Instagram selfies with #ClickItOrTicket, #BackseatBuckleUp, and tag LyftNCDOTNCGHSP, you will be entered into a contest to win a $500 Lyft Credit. 

For more information, visit GHSP’s Facebook page.  The contest begins at 6 p.m. on November 30 and runs until 2 a.m. For more information on the Click It or Ticket campaign, visit their website.