'Click It or Ticket' Crackdown Coming to Hackettstown

Hackettstown Police officers will be stepping up enforcement of seat belt-wearing this month as part of a national "Click It or Ticket" campaign.

Between May 20 and June 2, seat belt checkpoints and patrols will be set up and publicity of the importance of wearing seat belts will be emphasized in the area and throughout the country "to ensure that drivers and passengers recognize the life-saving value of seat belts," according to Hackettstown Police Sgt. Darren Tynan.

“Using a seat belt is the simplest way for a driver and his or her passengers to protect themselves when traveling,” Gary Poedubicky, acting director of the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety, said in a press release. "In 2010 alone, seat belts saved an estimated 12,546 lives nationwide.”  

Tynan said the front seat belt usage rate declined in New Jersey last year for the first time in 15 years to about 88.29 percent. Last year, 425 agencies participated in the campaign, leading to 29,307 seat belt citations; 4,951 speeding summonses; and 861 drunk driving arrests.

This year's goal, according to Poedubicky, is to increase the front seat belt rate to above 90 percent, although the 2013 campaign will also focus on rear seat passengers. Tynan added that adult back seat belt use is only at about 36 percent in the state.

“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.