In West Virginia, from 2017 to 2021, there have been an average of 281 motor vehicle fatalities on the state’s roadways. During that same five year period, there were 399 unrestrained passenger vehicle occupant fatalities.
Occupant Protection Initiatives
The West Virginia Governor’s Highway Safety Program (GHSP) promotes Occupant Protection Programs such as Click It Or Ticket and Child Passenger Safety to enforce the message to all motor vehicle drivers and passengers to buckle their seat belts.
Click It or Ticket
Click It or Ticket (CIOT) is a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) seat belt enforcement program that is observed by the GHSP. It was created in an effort to help increase the seat belt usage rate by reminding people to wear their seat belts.
Child Passenger Safety (CPS)
CPS serves as the occupant protection program for children. As a general rule, children under age eight are required by law to ride in federally approved child passenger safety seats. The type of seat your child must ride in is determined by various factors such as height, weight, age, and vehicle. More information and all specifics of the program can be found
here.
Data Tracking and Agency Support (DTASP)
This program was developmed to encourage individual law enforcement officers to become involved in the GHSP's occupant protection efforts. The GHSP will continue to support this program, and efforts to increase individual participation are ongoing by the Coordinator of this program.
West Virginia Seat Belt Law
A person may not operate a passenger vehicle on a public street or highway of this state unless the person, any passenger in the back seat under eighteen years of age, and any passenger in the front seat of the passenger vehicle is restrained by a safety belt meeting applicable federal motor vehicle safety standards.
As of July 9, 2013, the law is a primary offense, which means that no other action of probable cause, other than the lack of use of the proper seat belt restrain system, is required in order to be cited for violation of the seat belt law.
Click here for complete details on the West Virginia seat belt law.