The weather is quickly improving as we move through Springtime in Texas and that means more road trips and travel. It also means more people forgetting to buckle up when they get in the car.

So TxDOT is raising awareness and increasing enforcement of seat belt use with the 2019 'Click It or Ticket' campaign.

Helping TxDOT to spread the word this year is the family of Kailee Mills who passed away after a 2017 car crash. Estephany Escobar with KXXV.com shared some background about the Mills Family in a story earlier this week. Kailee had an accident just 500 yards from her home in Spring, Texas. Her father said she was not wearing her seatbelt at the time of the accident. David Mills said his daughter just unbuckled her seatbelt for a selfie with her friends and seconds later she was thrown from the vehicle when the car she rode in ran off the road and rolled over. Other passengers who kept their seatbelts on walked away from the accident with minor injuries.

The accident changed her families lives forever and the hardest part is that they know their daughter would be here today if she had kept her seatbelt fastened. This family is turning an incredible hardship into a chance to warn others of the importance of such a simple task like wearing a seatbelt.

This month Wendy and David Mills would be celebrating their daughter's 18th birthday if she was still with us. They now give generously of their time to spread the word about 'Click it or Ticket'. They created the Kailee Mills Foundation to help with that cause.

Wearing a seatbelt reduces the risk of dying in a car accident by 45% for front seat passengers according to the National Highway Safety Administration. This month police departments all over Texas will be increasing seat belt enforcement from May 21 to June 3. Drivers or passengers not wearing a seatbelt could be up against fines and court costs of up to $200.

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