Police Cracking Down On Seat Belt Violations In Wallingford

WALLINGFORD, CT — The Wallingford Police Department will be participating in the national campaign to step up enforcement of seat belt laws leading up to and during the Thanksgiving holiday.

The Click It or Ticket campaign, aimed at enforcing seat belt use, begins Nov. 23 and runs through Nov. 30.

“With Thanksgiving Weekend upon us, Connecticut’s law enforcement agencies intend to promote safe driving and increase the protection of all motorists,” Wallingford police wrote in a news release. “Law enforcement officials are out on Connecticut’s roads enforcing the State Occupant Protection laws and issuing citations to those who are unbuckled.

“Funding for this effort has been made possible by the Wallingford Police Department’s participation in a State of Connecticut Department of Transportation Highway Safety Enforcement Grant. This funding supports the staffing necessary to allow Wallingford Police to dedicate time and resources to this worthwhile effort.”

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend in 2020, there were 333 passenger vehicle occupants killed in crashes across the nation. More than half (52 percent) were unrestrained. Nighttime proved more deadly than daytime, with 67 percent of Thanksgiving weekend fatal crashes occurring at night, according to a news release.

“Whether someone is driving down the street or across the state to a Thanksgiving Day football game or turkey dinner, it’s critical that drivers and passengers buckle up,” Connecticut Department of Transportation Commissioner Joseph Giulietti said. “Buckling your seat belt isn’t only safe, it’s the law.”

Preliminary data for 2021 shows that 144 Connecticut residents lost their lives because they were not wearing seat belts, according to the news release.

The current seat belt compliance rate is 92.1 percent, up from 91.5 percent in 2021, the news release states.

“We want everyone to have a safe and happy holiday season, so please, make sure everyone in your vehicle – whether in the front or the back – is buckled up before you even turn on the car,” added Giulietti. “This Thanksgiving, and every day of the year, remember: Click It or Ticket.”

Connecticut law requires all drivers and passengers in the front and back seats to wear seatbelts. Fines start at a minimum of $92 for a first offense.