"It's a real deal to actually die from not being strapped in," Alex Jankowski said.

 

Between January and September of this year, Nebraska officers have investigated 149 fatal crashes - many of the victims were not buckled up. In Nebraska, driving without a seat belt is not a primary offense, meaning an officer can't pull you over for not wearing one. A group of UNL students is working hard to change that through a campaign called "Stay Alive for Another Ride."

 

"We want to get people thinking about the reasons why they want to stay alive when they get behind the wheel of a car and to have that be a motivating factor to put on their seat belt," Elli Fugate said.

 

Through social media and an upcoming concert, the students are urging state senators to pass a primary seat belt law, to save lives and money. "Accidents that result from not wearing a seat belt cost Nebraskans a lot of taxpayer dollars," Kristin Tobias said.

 

Traffic crashes cost taxpayers 1.6 billion dollars a year - that's about $952 for each Nebraska resident.

 

State Trooper Keith Bell says while law enforcement cracks down through checkpoints and the 'Click-It-Or-Ticket' campaign, it's up to each driver to protect themselves and their passengers. "Your chances of survival increase 50% if you buckle your seat belt, it takes three seconds."