‘Click It or Ticket’ campaign in E’town

Eatontown — Law enforcement officers from the Eatontown Police Department will be cracking down on unbuckled motorists and their passengers as part of the national “Click It or Ticket” campaign.
Beginning May 20 and running through June 2, the annual initiative includes high visibility law enforcement seat belt checkpoints and saturation patrols, as well as local and national publicity designed to ensure that drivers and passengers recognize the lifesaving value of seat belts,
“Using a seat belt is the simplest way for a driver and his or her passengers to protect themselves when traveling,” said Gary Poedubicky, Acting Director of the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety. “In 2010 alone, seat belts saved an estimated 12,546 lives nationwide.”
Last year, the front seat belt usage rate in New Jersey declined for the first time in 15 years, to 88.29 percent. Poedubicky noted that the goal for this year’s campaign is to once again move the usage rate above 90 percent.
“To meet our goal, we must continue both enforcement and public outreach efforts that educate all motor vehicle occupants about the importance of buckling up, every ride,” he said.
Poedubicky added that the campaign will focus on rear seat passengers, as well, Despite laws requiring adult back seat passengers to buckle up, adult back seat belt use stands at only 36 percent.
During the 2012 “Click it or Ticket” campaign, 425 police agencies participated in the two-week initiative. As a result of the effort, law enforcement officers issued 29,307 scat belt citations, 4,951 speeding summonses and made 861 drunk driving arrests.