MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- Commuters entering Camp Pendleton's Main Gate were seeing stars Monday.

Maj. Gen. William G. Bowdon, the base commanding general, greeted each motorist to ensure everyone was buckled up.

The star-studded greeting was part of Camp Pendleton's participation in the nationwide "Click It or Ticket" campaign, held twice annually during the busiest driving holidays. Camp Pendleton's campaign began Nov. 17 and will last through Nov. 30.

"It's not a Marine Corps or Navy campaign, it's across the nation," said Gunnery Sgt. Richard L. Foyt, staff noncommissioned officer in-charge at Camp Pendleton's Base Safety Center.

The purpose of the campaign, Foyt said, is to raise seat-belt awareness.

"It's not to intentionally give people citations, but we will cite them if they're not wearing a seat belt," said Cpl. Jeff R. Penny, a military policeman with Security Battalion.

"I think it will help tremendously," Foyt stated. "When you issue someone a citation, it raises their awareness."

Foyt said traffic will not be obstructed. If someone is unbuckled, they will simply be pulled over and cited. The Provost Marshal's Office will man road checkpoints every day on a random basis throughout Camp Pendleton. The checkpoints will remain through the end of the campaign.

The ultimate goal for the safety center is to keep people safe and bring Marines and sailors back from the holidays alive.

"The commanding general is the driving force behind the Click It or Ticket campaign," said David F. Barragan, director of the Base Safety Center. "He wants to make it evident to the people aboard Camp Pendleton that they need to wear their seat belts. We don't need to have any casualties as a result of something happening here at home."

Bowdon stood at the front gate and observed traffic entering the gate. He greeted and thanked motorists for buckling up.

"People were really amazed and taken by surprise as they witnessed the general stand up here," Penny said.

Marines or civilians on base must police each other, Barragan said.

"If you're driving down the road and see someone not wearing their seat belt, make an effort to let them know they need to put their seat belt on," Barragan said.

The Marine Corps is taking stringent measures when it comes to seat-belt violations. Marine Administrative Message 225/03 states that first-time violators will be assessed a one-week suspension of driving privileges plus attendance at a Saturday four-hour remedial driving class focused on seat belts.

Last year, there were 124 driving-related fatalities in the Marine Corps.

Forty percent of those involved unbelted vehicle occupants.

"Motor vehicle accidents is the number one killer of Marines," Foyt said, "Not wearing seat belts is an immense contributing factor to death."

"We don't need to lose Marines, sailors or dependents needlessly," Barragan said. "To lose one, is way too many."

Taking the time to put on a seat belt should be second nature for Marines, said Staff Sgt. Joey M. Pomerleau, from Military Police Company, Security Bn. It doesn't take away from busy schedules and could be the difference between life and death.

"It takes two seconds to put on a seat belt," said Pomerleau. "It could possibly save your life if you get into an accident, it's your life or two seconds."

Foyt said motorists are 75 percent more likely to survive crashes if they're wearing seat belts. They often keep victims from being ejected from vehicles, he said.

Foyt added that parents need the proper car seat for small children or they will not be allowed on base.

"If you're not accountable to yourself or family, then who are you going to be accountable to?" Foyt asked.

The Click It or Ticket campaign, a joint effort of the California Highway Patrol, military police and local law enforcement agencies, unfolds every six months to help raise awareness about the importance of wearing seat belts.

"The Click it or Ticket campaign is not about writing tickets but about saving lives," Penny said.

"Safety should not be an afterthought; it should be just what you do," Foyt said.