The signs blink above us when we're driving down the freeway. "Click it or Ticket" they warn. In fact, May 21^st through June 3^rd is the National Highway Traffic Safety Association period for a massive Click it or Ticket Campaign. During these few weeks, police are roaming the streets in primary seat belt offense states and looking for people who are not wearing their safety restraints. They hope that by ticketing more people, they can make an example and show just how seriously the law takes this offense.

But are there exceptions to this rule? Are there times when you don't need to wear your seatbelt on the road? According to driving laws, there most certainly are times when you don't need to click it. But these instances are few and far between. In most cases, drivers and passengers are required to buckle up before heading out on the road. Seat belts preserve millions of lives every year, and keep people from serious injuries during a car accident.

If you are in a limousine or another sort of chauffeured vehicle, you may be an exception to the seatbelt rule. Stretch cars normally don't have seatbelts, so you are not required to wear them. Also, if you are on a bus, such as a city bus or a school bus, you are not required to wear a seatbelt. Often these vehicles don't come equipped with seatbelts at all. While these are exceptions, if you own a standard car and do not wear a seatbelt because it is an older model and was not included, this is not necessarily a legitimate reason. In fact, you may be required to add seatbelts into the car, depending on the model and year. It is always safest to install seatbelts in any sort of small car.

Depending on which state you're in, the seatbelt laws vary. In some states, refusing to wear a seatbelt in the front seat is considered a first offense, while in others it is a second offense. New Hampshire is the only state which does not require people over 18 years old to wear a seatbelt while driving. Just because the laws are not enforced in this state does not mean that drivers shouldn't be extra careful and click that seatbelt on.

In some states, people in the back seat of the car do not have to wear a seatbelt when they are over 16 years old. Some of these states include New York, New Hampshire, and Michigan. In most states, the driver and front-seat passenger can be fined at least $50 for forgetting to put on their seatbelt while the car is moving. 25 of our 50 states consider the seatbelt law to be primary. This means that a police officer can pull you over simply for not having a seatbelt on. A secondary offense means that the police officer can only ticket you for not wearing a seatbelt if he is pulling you over for another offense. Normally states who champion the "Click it or Ticket" slogan are states that practice the primary offense seatbelt law.

According to one research project, states that practice primary offense enforcement have a 78 percent seatbelt use rating. The states that only practice a secondary enforcement see less people wearing seatbelts, only about 63 percent. Whenever a driver is operating his vehicle without his seatbelt on, he is putting himself in grave danger. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, men ages 18 to 34 are most likely to avoid wearing a seatbelt. Make sure to buckle up to avoid both a ticket and a serious injury in an accident.