Delaware runs Click It or Ticket May–June

Seat belts and motorcycle awareness are the kind of traffic stories that can sound routine. But the reason Delaware is pushing both right now is pretty simple — the state’s fatality numbers are already running hotter than last year, and a lot of the risk still comes down to very ordinary choices. On May 5, the Delaware Office of Highway Safety rolled out its spring safety push, tying the national “Click It or Ticket” campaign to Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month. The message is not subtle: buckle up, and look twice before you turn or change lanes. ### What changed this week? Delaware’s Office of Highway Safety said it is working with state and local police on the annual seat-belt campaign and using May to double up on motorcycle awareness at the same time. The state framed both as behavior problems that are easy to dismiss until they turn into fatal crashes — not wearing a belt, or simply failing to notice a rider in traffic. ### When does enforcement actually happen? The national “Click It or Ticket” window runs from May 19 through June 1 this year. That is the high-visibility enforcement piece — the stretch when drivers can expect more police attention around seat-belt use, especially around Memorial Day travel. Delaware’s broader safety messaging started earlier, on May 5, and the motorcycle-awareness part runs through June. ### What does Delaware law require? Delaware’s rule is stricter than some people assume. The driver has to wear a properly fastened seat belt, and the driver also has to make sure every passenger age 16 or older in the passenger compartment is buckled up too. Motorcycles are excluded from the seat-belt statute for obvious reasons, which is part of why the state is treating motorcycle visibility as a separate safety problem. ### Why pair seat belts with motorcycles? Because they hit two different versions of the same problem. Seat belts reduce harm after a crash starts. Motorcycle awareness is about preventing the crash in the first place — especially the classic “looked but didn’t see” turn-across-traffic mistake. Putting them together lets Delaware push one very basic idea from two angles: small habits matter more than people think. ### Is there evidence Delaware needs the push? Yes — and this is the part that gives the campaign some weight. Delaware’s Office of Highway Safety fatal-crash summary showed 31 total fatalities from January 1 through April 29, 2026, up from 26 in the same period in 2025. Vehicle-occupant deaths compared with none in that stretch a year earlier. ### So is this mostly about tickets? Not really — even though the campaign branding leans hard on enforcement. The practical goal is to make seat-belt use feel automatic before summer driving ramps up. NHTSA’s national campaign page makes the same point in broader terms: the whole idea is to combine reminders with visible enforcement so people actually change behavior, not just hear another safety slogan. ### What should drivers take from it? Two things. First, Delaware is telling drivers to treat buckling up as non-negotiable on every trip, not just long highway drives. Second, the state wants motorists to actively scan for motorcycles before turning, merging, or opening space in traffic — because riders are smaller, easier to miss, and far less protected in a crash. ### Bottom line This is a basic-behavior campaign, but that does not make it trivial. Delaware is leaning on the oldest road-safety advice in the book because the numbers suggest it still is not sticking well enough.