Galloway Cops To Run 'Click It Or Ticket' Campaign Later In May

GALLOWAY TOWNSHIP, NJ - Galloway police will conduct a "Click It Or Ticket" campaign starting on May 21 and running through June 3.

So buckle up or you risk getting a ticket, or worse, being an accident victim.

“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 2016, it is estimated that more than 14,500 lives were saved nationally by the proper use of seat belts.”

The annual “Click It or Ticket” national campaign uses high visibility seat belt checkpoints and saturation patrols, in combination with local and national publicity efforts, to drive home the lifesaving value of seat belts.

And authorities are not only concerned with front seat drivers and passengers. The New Jersey compliance rate with front seat usage is 94.07 percent.

But back seat passenger seat belt usage is a dismal 48 percent, according to the most recent survey.

“For whatever reason there seems to be a disconnect with people feeling they don’t need to buckle up when riding as a passenger in rear seats, and this is a concern,” Poedubicky said.

During the 2017 “Click it or Ticket” campaign, 350 New Jersey police agencies participated in the two-week initiative. Law enforcement officers issued 17,792 seat belt citations, 6,363 speeding summonses and made 976 impaired driving arrests.

Photo: Courtesy of Galloway Township Police Department