AMES - From May 19 to June 1 the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) will use permanent dynamic message signs to remind Iowans to “Click It or Ticket – Day and Night.” The signs are located in Ames, Mason City, Sioux City, Iowa City, Council Bluffs, Cedar Rapids, the Quad Cities, and the Des Moines metro area.

The signs will be in operation to support a law enforcement effort encouraging the use of safety belts anytime drivers or passengers are in a moving vehicle.

The campaign is part of Iowa 's special Traffic Enforcement Program (sTEP), a coordinated effort by law enforcement agencies to increase highway safety. Iowa DOT motor vehicle officers will join more than 200 state law enforcement agencies in an effort targeted to increase seat belt usage in all vehicles.

In 2006, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 15,046 passenger vehicle occupants were killed between the nighttime hours of 6 p.m. and 5:59 a.m. Nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of those killed at night were not wearing seat belts compared to less than half (46 percent) of the passenger vehicle occupants killed during daytime hours.

Along with nighttime motorists, young men were least likely to buckle up overall. In 2006, 73 percent of males between the ages of 18 and 34 who were killed in crashes were not wearing seat belts.

In fact, all young people are at an increased risk of serious injury or death from motor vehicle crashes. Sixty-four percent of teenagers killed in crashes during 2006 were not wearing seat belts at the time of the crashes. And the 2006 observed seat belt usage rate of those ages 16 to 24 was lower than any other age group.

Notices will be displayed from May 19 to June 1 in accordance with the following schedule (subject to override by critical traffic safety notices or Amber Alerts):

Saturday and Sunday: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Monday, Wednesday and Friday: 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Tuesday and Thursday: 6 p.m. – 10 p.m.

This is the second of four special enforcement efforts scheduled for 2008. Iowa 's next sTEP wave is set for July 3-6.