JERSEY CITY – Did you know that wearing a seatbelt increases the odds of surviving a crash by as much as 75 percent?
We didn’t know it, either, until we were flagged over by a member of the Jersey City Police Department (JCPD) at the corner of Marin Boulevard and Grand Street, one of three sites where the JCPD is staging a public education campaign on the importance of always wearing a seatbelt.
As part of the campaign, drivers without belts are forced to pull over at check points and given a brochure titled “Crash Protection,” issued by the American Automobile Association, and a one-page handout from the JCPD that reads in part, “You have just violated a traffic safety regulation. Buckle up. It’s the law.”
“Instead of getting a ticket, you’re getting this,” said the very nice JCPD who flagged us over. “Now, isn’t that nice?”
After guiltily nodding in the affirmative and putting on our seatbelt, we were on our way.
Mayor Steven Fulop, who found humor in our predicament, said the seatbelt education campaign is part of a larger initiative that will be unveiled in the coming weeks. He declined to elaborate further. – E. Assata Wright
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