Getting drivers to buckle up

The Cranbury police participate in Click It or Ticket, the national enforcement and education campaign aimed at raising seatbelt usage.

By: Jessica Beym
   The Cranbury police are trying to get out the message that seat belts save lives.
   The department increased its patrols this week as part of a nationwide enforcement and education campaign called Click It or Ticket. The campaign, which ends June 2, is sponsored by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and is aimed at raising New Jersey’s safety belt usage.
   Sgt. Frank Dillane, Cranbury’s local coordinator, said that throughout the week, officers have been stationed at different intersections throughout town, where they have performed random stops and issue tickets to drivers and passengers who weren’t buckled up.
   "We’re trying to step up the awareness and enforcement of this law," Sgt. Dillane said Tuesday. "It’s around the time when school is getting out and we want to remind people that seat belts do save lives."
   Sgt. Dillane said that all drivers or front-seat passengers are required to wear a seat belt at all times. Children under the age of 18 must also be buckled up if they are in the back seat. Any kids 8 years old or younger or weighing less than 80 pounds need to be buckled into an approved child seat, he said.
   Not wearing a seat belt is a primary offense in New Jersey, which means that motorists can be stopped and ticketed if they fail to buckle up. The penalties range from $44 to $47.
   Sgt. Dillane said the officers are providing drivers with a brochure with facts about safety belts at the checkpoints.
   In 2005, there were 757 motor vehicle fatalities in New Jersey and in the majority of those accidents, the victim was not wearing a seat belt, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for people age 15 to 34 in the United States, according to the organization.
   Officers stationed at Route 130 and Half Acre Road on Tuesday issued a number of summonses to motorists who weren’t buckled up, Sgt. Dillane said.
   "It’s been very successful," Sgt. Dillane said. "The state is trying to raise the compliance statistics and the stats aren’t at where the state would like them to be."
   Before and after the campaign, the officers are conducting a survey in which they monitor various controlled intersections and note the number of motorists without seat belts.
   "The numbers always increase after the enforcement period is over," Sgt. Dillane said. "The state is really trying to make people aware."