5/19/2010     06:20 AM

Seat Belt Enforcement and Education Campaign to be Conducted Locally as Part of Nationwide Click It or Ticket Mobilization May 24 – June 6, 2010 East Brunswick – Law enforcement officers from the East Brunswick Police Department will be cracking down on unbuckled motorists and their passengers as part of the national “Click it or Ticket” campaign. Beginning May 24 and running through June 6, the annual initiative includes high visibility law enforcement seatbelt checkpoints and saturation patrols, as well as local and national publicity designed to ensure that drivers and passengers recognize the lifesaving value of seatbelts. “Using a seatbelt is the simplest way for a motorist and his or her passengers to protect themselves when on the road”, said Pam Fischer, Director of New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety. “Motor vehicle occupants who buckle up are between 45 and 75 percent less like to face life threatening injuries in a car crash”. Last year, the front seatbelt usage rate in New Jersey rose for the 13th consecutive year to 92.67%. Fischer noted that while front seatbelt usage rates continue to increase in New Jersey, law enforcement and safety officials will not rest until the state achieves a 100 percent compliance rate. “New Jersey has one of the strongest front seatbelt usage rates in the nation, but our work isn’t done”, Fischer said. “To meet our goal, we must continue to focus on enforcement and public outreach efforts to educate motorists and their passengers about the critical importance of buckling up, every ride.” Fischer added that for the first time, the campaign will focus on rear seat passengers as well. New legislation requiring adult rear set passengers to buckle up became law earlier this year. Currently, adult back seatbelt use stands at 32 percent. During 2009, “Click it or Ticket” campaign, 443 police agencies participated in the two week initiative. As a result of the effort, law enforcement officers issued 41,442 seatbelt citations, 6833 speeding summonses, and made 866 drunken driving arrests.