Virginia law enforcement officials begin 'Click It Or Ticket' campaign

The upcoming holiday weekend is expected to see significant traffic volumes, with 38.4 million people expected to travel by car nationwide – the most ever since AAA began forecasting holiday travel in 2000. In Virginia, more than one million people are expected to take a road trip during the Memorial Day weekend.

According to the most recent statewide data, nearly 27% of Virginians still are not wearing seatbelts in vehicles. Last year, 54% of those killed in traffic crashes in Virginia were not wearing them.

To address the matter, law enforcement officials will be conducting a series of high-visibility enforcement operations along busy roads to target motorists who are not wearing seatbelts and issue citations to them.

"At the Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU we see the tragedy that follows a crash if a child is not properly secured," said Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU Pediatric Injury Prevention Outreach and Education Coordinator Corri Miller-Hobbs. "It’s heartbreaking knowing many of these injuries could have been prevented if the child had been in the right safety seat and properly secured."

Buckling up can reduce the risk of death in a crash by 45 percent, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.