Make sure everyone in the family gets home safely this holiday season by buckling your seat belt every trip, day and night. That’s the message that the Manteca Police Department and Lathrop Police Services are telling drivers as part of the 2009 holiday Click or Ticket mobilization now in effect through Nov. 30.

Given the years of public awareness campaigns, including hundreds of Click It or Ticket highway signs, no warnings will be given out. The Click It or Ticket campaign relies on heavy enforcement and education as a means to help save lives on California’s roadways.

Getting caught without a seat belt on – whether it is the driver or one of their passengers – is a $132 fine that is issued to the driver.

“There is absolutely no question that seat belts save lives,” said Manteca Police Chief Dave Bricker. “Buckling up will not only save you a heavy fine, it can also save your life.”

Currently, California has a seat belt usage rate of 95.4 percent, but that still means over 1.5 million people in the state are not buckling up. Properly restrained drivers, passengers and children have a 50 percent better chance of surviving a crash than unbelted occupants. Those ejected from vehicles in crashes or roll-overs are up to 35 times more likely to die than restrained occupants.

“There are no excuses. Nothing is worth risking the lives of you or your family,” said Christopher J. Murphy, director of the California Office of Traffic Safety.”This should be the season of joy and Thanksgiving, not tragedy.”

More than 175 local law enforcement agencies statewide and the CHP will be participating in this year’s Click It or Ticket mobilization. Funding to support California’s Click It or Ticket campaign was provided by a grant from the California office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.