NEBRASKA (KCAU) — With Memorial Day weekend less than 2 weeks away AAA estimates 37.1 million Americans will travel by road.

As more drivers hit the road, public safety officials are urging Americans to always wear their seatbelts.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is working with state DOTs in a nationwide, high-visibility effort to enforce seat belt laws from now through early June called “Click it or ticket.”

Nebraska State Patrol Colonel John Bolduc said it’s difficult for law enforcement officers to report an accident that could have been prevented.

“One of the toughest parts of the job of our troopers is to have to notify a family that your loved one was killed in a crash. That’s news no family should ever receive. It’s even more difficult when we know that a seatbelt wasn’t in use and a family tragedy could have been avoided,” Bolduc said.

According to the NHTSA, more than 10,000 passenger vehicle occupants that died in crashes in the U.S in 2020 were not wearing their seatbelt.