Police in Montgomery push seat belt law

Part of nationwide "Click It or Ticket" campaign

By: Paul Sisolak
   MONTGOMERY — Township police, like their counterparts in Princeton and across the country, are cracking down on seat belt violators and giving drivers a choice — click it or ticket.
   For the rest of this month, the Montgomery Police Department will participate in the nationwide "Click It or Ticket" campaign crackdown on motorists who don’t buckle up their safety belts.
   "Our campaign is part education, part enforcement," said Montgomery Police Lieutenant Greg Harkins at the May 15 Township Committee meeting.
   Not wearing a seat belt, he said, "obviously contributes to a lot of injuries and deaths."
   Lt. Harkins said officers from the detective and patrol divisions will be dispatched to certain parts of the township to educate citizens by handing out informational pamphlets on the program. Montgomery High School, he said, is one location.
   "We’re going to pick particular spots," he said, high-risk areas where drivers speed or don’t properly wear their safety belts.
   The lieutenant said police checkpoints will be established at Routes 206, 518 and 601 to target drivers and strictly enforce seat belt laws by issuing tickets.
   Up until last year, Lt. Harkins said, tickets issued to people who failed to wear their seat belts could only be made secondary to another motor vehicle offense. New laws allow police to conduct seat belt checkpoints, in which violators not buckled up can face a fine between $60 and $90, he said.
   According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 5,000 to 7,000 lives can be saved annually if every state conducted high-visibility enforcement.
   Anyone seeking further information on the "Click It or Ticket" program can contact Sgt. Joseph Yanicak at (908) 874-3333, ext. 260.