Columbia -- The South Carolina Department of Public Safety (SCDPS) begins its annual Buckle Up, SC enforcement mobilization on May 21, 2018. The special enforcement period will run through June 3, 2018, and is supported by a new outdoor advertising and social media campaign: #WhatMakesYouClick.

Buckle Up, SC is the department’s annual safety belt campaign with an emphasis on safe summer travel in advance of Memorial Day weekend. 

Through #WhatMakesYouClick, SCDPS is encouraging the motoring public to share photos and videos on social media platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter, showing the reasons they buckle up and drive safely. See what makes Trooper Bob click. Lt. Beres also explains the new campaign and why he buckles up on the new Buckle Up, SC campaign page. 

“Safety belts are the single most effective safety device for preventing fatalities and injuries in a motor vehicle collision,” said SCDPS Director Leroy Smith. “#WhatMakesYouClick is a reminder to South Carolina motorists that when we buckle up and practice safe driving habits, we aren’t just doing it for ourselves but for the people we love.” 

SCDPS joins regional and national partners in promoting safety belt use this time of year. The goals of the campaign are: to increase safety belt usage; to see a decrease in traffic fatalities and serious injuries; and promote a greater awareness about the role safety belts play in keeping motorists safe on the road. Special attention will be paid to nighttime enforcement checks, as statistics show the safety belt usage rate drops during the hours between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. 

As of May 18 this year, there have been 355 highway fatalities compared to 395 on the same date in 2017. Of the 257 people with access to safety belts who have died in 2018, 129 died unrestrained. 

The BUSC campaign is part of the department’s Target Zero umbrella, which guides all enforcement and education activities at SCDPS, and represents a long-term strategy to reduce and eliminate traffic fatalities in South Carolina. 

Billboards, alternate outdoor advertising (such as gas pump handles), and DPS social media feature versions of the below graphic for #WhatMakesYouClick.

The South Carolina Department of Public Safety includes the Highway Patrol, State Transport Police, Bureau of Protective Services, Office of Highway Safety and Justice Programs, Immigration Enforcement Unit and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Officers Hall of Fame. Our mission is to ensure public safety by protecting and serving the people of South Carolina and its visitors.