HUDSON COUNTY – Law enforcement officers from the Hudson County Sheriff’s Office will crack down on unbuckled motorists and passengers as part of the national “Click it or Ticket” campaign.
Beginning on May 18 and running through May 31, the annual initiative will include high visibility law enforcement seat belt checkpoints and additional patrols, as well as local and national publicity designed to ensure that drivers and passengers recognize the life-saving value of seat belts. Extra sheriff’s patrols, paid for with federal grant money, will be patrolling the county highways, roads, and parks, day and night.
“Wearing a seat belt is the simplest way for a driver and his or her passenger to protect themselves while traveling in a vehicle,” said Sheriff Frank X. Schillari. ”Seatbelts saved an estimated 12,000 people last year.”
Front seat belt usage rate in New Jersey currently stands at 87.59 percent. The goal is to increase the statewide rate to 90 percent. This year’s campaign will also focus on rear seat passengers, as well as nighttime enforcement. During evening hours seat belt usage is traditionally lower and the percentage of unbelted fatalities is higher.
“Please buckle up,” said Schillari. “It can save your life or someone you love who is driving with you. We respond to too many serious and fatal crashes where seatbelts could have made a difference.”
During the 2014 “Click it or Ticket” campaign, 374 police agencies participated in the two-week initiative. As a result of the effort, law enforcement officers issued 26,635 seat belt citations, 4,363 speeding summons, and made 944 drunk driving arrests.
Our Digital Archive from 2000 – 2016
