Click it or Ticket Promotes Seatbelt Safety - FOX 42: Omaha News, Sports and Weather; kptm.com |

Meghan McRoberts

OMAHA (KPTM)- AAA projects that nearly 35 million people across the country will travel 50 miles or more this memorial day weekend, with the majority taking to the streets.

Nebraska has already seen 65 road fatalities this year. More than 40 of those killed were not wearing a seat belt.

With more travelers on the road, police say there's more of a chance for accidents that could be fatal. Preventing those tragedies is the main goal of the Click it or Ticket campaign, that runs through June 3.

Officer Mark Hardesty with the La Vista Police Department says it's tough to keep an eye out for seatbelt violators, but important.   "If they're on-coming, and I see something wrong, they're wearing the strap or not, or if I'm behind them and go to pull them over typically I look for the people doing the shuffle and I can see them pulling it on."

At night, Hardesty says, he just has to look harder.

Seat Belt violations are $25, and a secondary offense. That means that a driver would have to be doing something else wrong first to be pulled over, such as speeding, or driving with a tail light out.

Hardesty says officers also keep an eye out for child seat violations, as well as anyone in the backseat under the age of 18 not wearing a seatbelt.