On Thursday, May 16, members of the Gloucester Township Police Department attended the Border 2 Border Kickoff for the Click it Or Ticket enforcement campaign at the Talen Energy Stadium in Chester, PA. Representatives from PA DOT, NJ Department of Highway Traffic Safety and various police agencies from Pennsylvania and New Jersey attended to raise awareness of the importance to wear seat belts and support the Click it or Ticket initiative which begins on May 20.
Between May 20 and June 2, Gloucester Township Police will join with police from around the country in cracking down on unbuckled motorists and passengers as part of the national “Click it or Ticket” campaign. Saturation patrols utilizing marked and unmarked police vehicles will be utilized to target roadways with a history of motor vehicle crashes and aggressive driving complaints. A review of crash data between 2013 and 2017 revealed that seat belt usage saved nearly 69,000 lives nationally. Taking a moment to buckle up is the simplest way for an occupant of a motor vehicle to protect themselves on the road.
In New Jersey, a key focus of this year’s Click It or Ticket campaign is to promote seat belt usage by adults in all seating positions in the vehicle, both front AND rear seats. Adults riding in rear seats are buckling up at a significantly low rate, only 48% according to a recent survey. By encouraging compliance of rear seat passengers to use their seat belts, it will reduce the number of injuries and fatalities in motor vehicle crashes.
The timing of this initiative is important and meant to coincide with the unofficial start of the summer travel season. Between Memorial Day and Labor Day communities all around New Jersey experience increased traffic volume and it tends to be the busiest, and most dangerous time of the year. The goal of this enforcement campaign is to reinforce the importance of safe driving behaviors in an effort to hopefully save a life or negate a serious injury.
For further information visit the NJDHTS at: https://www.nj.gov/oag/hts/seatbelts.html
