AHOSKIE – The message is simple – listen for the &uot;click&uot; of a properly fastened seat belt or run the risk of receiving a ticket.

The North Carolina Highway Patrol’s &uot;Click It or Ticket&uot; program began May 23 and runs through June 12. The NCHP, with assistance from other law enforcement agencies statewide, will set-up numerous checkpoints from Murphy to Manteo.

&uot;Your chances of running into one of our checkpoints will be better than average over the next few weeks,&uot; said First Sgt. B.A. Jones of the NCHP’s Troop A office in Ahoskie.

&uot;We’ll be checking driver’s licenses, automotive insurance, registration and to see if the driver and the passengers in the vehicle are properly buckled-up,&uot; he continued.

Sgt. Jones said the checkpoints are not set-up to harass the traveling public, but rather to remind motorists to use the restraint systems within their vehicles.

&uot;We would rather praise you for doing the right thing by buckling up than to write you a ticket,&uot; Sgt. Jones said. &uot;But if you are not buckled-up or if you fail to have a child passenger properly restrained, you will receive a ticket.&uot;

There is a $25 fine (plus $50 cost of court) for improper seat belt usage among adult passengers. Those cited for not having a child passenger (up to eight years old or weighing 80 pounds or less) will pay a $25 fine plus $100 cost of court as well as receiving two insurance points against their driver’s license.

&uot;We would love to see 100 percent compliance with the state’s seat belt laws,&uot; Sgt. Jones concluded. &uot;Studies have shown that proper restraint inside a motor vehicle during a crash saves lives and lowers the risk of serious injury.&uot;