The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, Pennsylvania State Police, Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, National Weather Service, and AAA remind drivers to wear their seat belts, drive sober, and eliminate distractions behind the wheel.

“We must all do our part to prevent crashes and fatalities,” said PennDOT Executive Deputy Secretary Cheryl Moon-Sirianni. “No matter how far or near you travel, we want everyone to arrive safely. Please designate a sober driver this holiday season. And buckle up. Your seat belt is your best defense against reckless drivers.”

Operation Safe Holiday kicks off Monday with the “Click It or Ticket” Thanksgiving Enforcement Mobilization running through Nov. 26. Aiming to keeping Pennsylvania’s youngest travelers safe on the road, state police will hold child safety seat fitting clinics at several locations across the state.

“Correct use of child safety seats and booster seats is paramount to preventing injuries and fatalities in a crash. To ensure child safety seats are properly installed, our trained child passenger safety technicians ensure your child is properly secured in an age-appropriate seat excluded from all recalls,” said PSP Commissioner Colonel Christopher Paris. “Failing to secure a child in a safety seat is a serious matter. Drivers who place children in danger by ignoring this law will be cited.”

Pennsylvania law requires any occupant younger than 18 to buckle up when riding in a vehicle, as well as drivers and front-seat passengers. Children under the age of 2 must be secured in a rear-facing car seat, and children under the age of 4 must be restrained in an approved child safety seat. Children must ride in a booster seat until their 8th birthday.

Throughout Operation Safe Holiday, law enforcement will also conduct sobriety checkpoints, roving patrols, and regular traffic safety patrols beginning the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, Nov. 22, through the New Year’s holiday to crack down on drivers impaired by drugs or alcohol.

Motorists can check conditions on more than 40,000 roadway miles by visiting www.511PA.com.