The Department of Public Safety unveiled their new "Click It or Ticket" Buckle Face Heroes campaign Thursday, November 21, at the Sugarhouse Cinemark Theatre.
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — The Department of Public Safety (DPS) hopes that people who ignore their pleas to wear a seatbelt will instead listen to Batman or Harry Potter.
With help from Utah Highway Patrol (UHP), the DPS unveiled its new Buckle Face Heroes campaign, which goes along with its annual Click It or Ticket campaign.
The strategy features five unique videos that spoof Harry Potter, Predator, Mr. T, Batman, and Rocky imploring Utahns to wear their seatbelt.
“Buckle up, put your seatbelt into action,” says one video featuring a Batman character.
According to statistics shared by UHP, around 90% of Utah drivers already wear their seatbelt, but the remaining 10% continue to ignore UHP’s typical messages.
Their belief is that it will take creativity and a sense of humor to change the actions of that remaining group.
While only 10% aren’t wearing their seatbelt, they make up a much larger percentage of fatal accidents.
“Over half the deaths that occur in this state are because of people that are not seatbelted,” said Major Steve Winward with the Utah Highway Patrol.
The annual Click It or Ticket campaign has now been a statewide effort for two decades.
“Since the campaign started, we’ve predicted we’ve probably saved around 1,700 lives in Utah,” he said.
The campaign starts on November 27 and runs through December 1. During that time, officers will be working over 330 overtime shifts to look for those driving without a seatbelt.
An added deterrent to driving without wearing a seat belt is the attached price tag. A citation will cost upwards of $50.