NEW YORK — The Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee (GTSC) is once again partnering with NASCAR driver Ross Chastain to demonstrate and raise awareness among teens about the importance of wearing a seat belt, as part of the annual statewide “Buckle Up New York, Click it or Ticket” education and enforcement campaign, which runs from Monday, May 19 until June 1.
Chastain and GTSC met with students recently at the Institute for Technology at Syracuse Central School in Syracuse, and at East Syracuse Minoa High School.
According to a press release, during these visits, teens learned driver safety tips and how taking a few seconds to buckle up could save their lives. Data compiled by the University at Albany’s Institute for Traffic Safety Management & Research (ITSMR) shows that in 2024, New York’s seat belt usage rate dipped to 92%, up from an all-time high of 94% in 2023.
“The message to take a few seconds to buckle up every trip, every time you’re in a vehicle cannot be overstated,”Department of Motor Vehicles Commissioner and GTSC Chair Mark J.F. Schroeder said in the release. “Not only is it the law, but that simple action could save your life. By partnering with Ross Chastain, we reach a wider audience which can only help strengthen our message and the safety of all New Yorkers.”
When he’s not driving on the NASCAR circuit, Chastain is an eighth-generation watermelon farmer, hence him sporting New York’s “Protect Your Melon” logo on both his uniform and his #44 Buckle Up NY Chevy for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Watkins Glen International in August. More than 1,500,000 watermelons labeled with “Protect Your Melon” and “Buckle Up!” hashtags will be sold in grocery stores across the state from nowuntil fall.
“I’m thrilled to be part of the Protect Your Melon initiative again this year,” Chastain said in the release. “Encouraging students and young drivers to buckle up and spread awareness about the importance of wearing seat belts will help build safe driving habits for years to come.”
“Buckle Up New York is more than just a slogan — it’s a life-saving reminder that every seat belt click counts,” New York State Police Superintendent Steven G. James added in the release. “The State Police remain committed to ensuring compliance with New York’s seat belt laws through both education and enforcement.
“We want every driver and passenger to understand that buckling up is the simplest step they can take to stay safe on our roadways.”
According to the release, New York has always been at the forefront of seat belt safety. In 1984, New York was the first state in the country to pass legislation requiring drivers and front seat passengers to use seat belts. In 2020, those historic seat belt laws got even tighter with the enactment of a law to also require back seat passengers to wear a seat belt or be properly restrained in a child safety seat.
As part of its ongoing effort to make sure drivers and passengers are safe, GTSC’s Child Passenger Safety Program supports training on how to properly install child safety restraints. Through this program, law enforcement and various community safety partners offer free child car seat inspections by certified child passenger safety technicians year-round.
Information for parents and caregivers is available at trafficsafety.ny.gov.
For more information on occupant protection, please visit the GTSC’s website or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Combined with education and enforcement campaigns, GTSC coordinates various traffic safety activities throughout the year and supports ongoing initiatives to improve pedestrian, motorcycle and bicycle safety. The GTSC also sponsors critical training for law enforcement, provides resources for teen drivers and their parents, and promotes seatbelt use statewide.
For more information about GTSC, visit https://trafficsafety.ny.gov/, or follow the GTSC conversation at Facebook and X.
