Authorities Readying For ‘Click It or Ticket’ Campaign For Memorial Day Weekend

Travel experts, AAA, say they expect just under 40 million people to hit the road in their vehicles this Memorial Day weekend. Thanks to cheaper gas prices this year than last, of all the transportation modes out there, 87% of people will be driving this holiday.

"AAA projects 2.04 million New Englanders will head 50 miles or more from home over the Memorial Day holiday travel period* from Thursday, May 22 to Monday, May 26, which is a 3% increase over last year... Despite concerns over rising prices, many Americans say they’re taking advantage of the long holiday weekend to spend time with loved ones, even if the trips are closer to home."

Those that are tasked with the protection of our roads have kicked of the annual Maine Bureau of Highway Safety "Click it or ticket" campaign, which will run through the weekend until June first.

During the next two weeks, members of Maine's law enforcement agencies will be looking for anyone who isn't wearing their seatbelt, issuing tickets to those not in compliance.

"The penalties in Maine for not wearing a seat belt are as follows: a first offense results in a fine of $50, while second and subsequent offenses result in steeper fines of $125 and $250 respectively. "

While Maine fares well with usages overall, coming in at over 93% seatbelt usage across the state, those numbers drop during the night time hours, an aspect that authorities will be focusing on this year.

Highway Safety Director, Lauren Stewart, says the Click It Or Ticket Campaign is meant to make people think twice about not using safety restraints in their car when they travel. “We want to impress upon this group, the critical importance of proper seat belt usage, as it is a proven fact that wearing seat belts saves lives.”

The data shows that the number of unrestrained fatalities on Maine roadways from 2022 through 2024 is at 349.

With an increase in road traffic forecasted for the Memorial Day weekend, the Maine Bureau of Highway Safety also reminds drivers that we're coming into the 100 Deadliest Days of summer, when the number of fatal crashes, increases sharply, especially among younger drivers, because of the summer vacation and impaired and distracted drivers.