'Click it or Ticket': Yorktown Police Encourage Teen Drivers to Wear Seat Belts

The will participate in the 2012 spring national "Click it or Ticket" seat-belt enforcement program, which will run from May 21 through June 3. 

Police chief Daniel McMahon said the national average for seat-belt use among adult drivers is 90 percent, while only 46 percent of the teenagers use a seat belt. The teen (age 16-19) fatality rate is four times higher than ages 25-69 according to the most current study, he said in a statement. Boys are more likely not to wear a seat-belt than girls.

McMahon reminds motorist that regular seat belt use is the "single most effective way to protect people, minimize the severity of injuries and reduce fatalities in motor vehicle accidents." He encourages parents to speak with their children about the importance of wearing seat-belts. 

The enforcement, with a special focus on teen drivers, will be conducted by officers on regular patrol and officers who are funded by the national "Click it or Ticket" program. 

For an overview of the law and more detailed information click here.

• In the front seat, the driver and each passenger must wear a seat belt, one person per belt. 
• Every occupant, regardless of age or seating position, of a motor vehicle being operated by the holder of a Learner Permit, a Limited Class-DJ, or Class-DJ Driver License must be restrained by a safety restraint. 
• Each passenger under age 16 must wear a seat-belt or use an appropriate child safety restraint system. The restraint system must comply with the child height and weight recommendations determined by the manufacturer. Depending on the size of the child, the restraint system may be a safety seat or a booster seat used in combination with a lap and shoulder belt. 
• The driver must make sure that each passenger under age 16 obeys the law. The driver can be fined and receive three driver license penalty points for each violation.

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