The state Department of Transportation and the four county police departments will conduct the annual Click It or Ticket seatbelt enforcement campaign tomorrow through June 1.

Police statewide will issue citations to motorists not wearing seatbelts, in an effort to have motorists and passengers better protect themselves. Hawai'i's seatbelt laws require all front-seat occupants to buckle up, as well as back-seat passengers under the age of 18. Violators of seatbelt laws will be assessed a $92 fine.

State law also requires children under 4 years old to ride in a child safety seat, and children ages 4 to 8 to ride in either a child safety seat or a booster seat. Violators of Hawaii's Child Passenger Restraint Law are required to attend a four-hour class and may be assessed a fine between $100 and $500 depending on the number of offenses.

Hawai'i's seatbelt usage jumped to 97.6 percent during the 2007 Click It or Ticket campaign, giving Hawai'i the highest rate in the nation.

"It's important for every motorist to be aware of our state's seatbelt and child passenger restraint laws," said Department of Transportation Director Brennon Morioka. "Every single person that's buckled up could be a life saved."

This year's seatbelt campaign will continue to focus on the lowest-rated groups of unbuckled drivers and passengers: the 18- to 25-year-old age group and drivers of pickup trucks.

In addition to issuing citations for seatbelt violations, police will enforce child restraint laws, ticketing drivers if children are not restrained properly in child safety seats in the vehicle's back seat.

During the May 2007 campaign, police officers around the state issued 2,793 citations for seatbelt violations and 170 citations for child safety restraint infractions.

National statistics have shown that the use of seatbelts is the single most effective act that drivers can do to protect themselves in a traffic accident. Preliminary statistics show that last year in Hawai'i, 14 lives could have been saved if vehicle occupants were buckled up when involved in a crash.

For more information about the Click It or Ticket campaign, contact the Highway Safety Section at 587-6301 or visit http://hawaii.gov/dot.