Not Wearing A Seat Belt In These Bergen Towns Could Cost You

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — Various Bergen County police departments are among more than 100 statewide that will be patrolling heavily to make sure drivers and passengers are wearing their seat belts.

From May 20 through June 2, New Jersey officers will be out in full force as part of the national annual Click It or Ticket enforcement mobilization to emphasize the value of seat belts.

Eleven Bergen County police departments each received a $5,500 grant to help cover the costs to participate in the campaign.

Last year, 357 – 73 percent – of the 491 police agencies in New Jersey participated in the Click It or Ticket mobilization. The agencies issued a total 19,659 seat belt citations, up from 17,792 issued during the 2017 mobilization.

In addition to seat belt citations, police officers wrote 534 child restraint and 4,437 speeding citations, and made 661 DWI arrests, state officials said.

Now in its 15th year, New Jersey's Click It or Ticket campaign uses high visibility seat belt checkpoints and saturation patrols, in combination with local and national publicity efforts, to reinforce the message that motorist should buckle up during every trip.

Crash statistics show that from 2013 through 2017, seat belt use saved more than 69,000 lives nationally, more than 1,000 of them In New Jersey, according to state officials.

Experts say wearing a seat belt reduces a vehicle occupant's risk of fatal injury by 45 percent and critical injury by 50 percent.

The state's primary seat belt law requires all motorists and passengers in the front seat, including passengers under the age of 18, to wear a seat belt or be securely buckled in a car seat, or face a $46 fine. This ticket is issued to the driver.

Here is the list of the Bergen County police departments participating and the grant money they'll get to launch the campaign:

• Elmwood Park $5,500
• Fairview $5,500
• Garfield $5,500
• Glen Rock $5,500
• Leonia $5,500
• Lodi $5,500
• Moonachie $5,500
• Ramsey $5,500
• Ridgefield Park $5,500
• South Hackensack $5,500
• Teaneck $5,500

For more information, and for a list of participating police departments in New Jersey, click here.

Email: daniel.hubbard@patch.com