For the next two weeks, Natchez and Adams County residents had better buckle up or pay for it.

The Adams County Sheriff’s Office, the Natchez Police Department and the Mississippi Highway Patrol are joining forces in a two-week long click-it or ticket program.

Today through June 3, police will emphasize seat belts, and the sheriff’s office will set up roadblocks to check that drivers and passengers are buckled in.

“It’s not about writing tickets,” Sheriff Ronny Brown said. “We want to make people aware of the danger. Hopefully, this will save lives.”

Nearly 60 percent of those who died in car wrecks at night last year weren’t wearing seat belts, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Brown has seen that damage illustrated firsthand.

“Since I’ve been here, I’ve seen wrecks where people got hurt, thrown out of vehicles and killed,” Brown said.

That’s why it’s so important to wear seat belts, he said. That’s why his office is setting up roadblocks, to help people.

Drivers should expect to spend a little extra time if they’re on the road, Brown said.

“If you travel in the next two weeks, you’re going to get stopped,” he said. “If you’re driving through, we will stop you.”

Natchez Police are taking a different approach to the problem.

“We’re putting an emphasis on seat belts,” Police Chief Mike Mullins said. “We’re stepping up enforcement on child restraints and seat belts.”

Both child restraint and seat belt violations are a primary offense, meaning officers can pull a driver over for not wearing a seat belt. That includes front seat passengers, too, Mullins said.

The two-week span centers around Memorial Day weekend, a holiday with historically heavy traffic.