Maryland State Police Step Up Enforcement Of 2 Laws

It takes just two seconds to buckle up when going for a drive. But for whatever reason, many skip this potentially life-saving step, putting themselves at greater risk of dying in a crash.

More than 120 unbelted drivers and passengers are killed each year in Maryland, according to Maryland State Police.

Beginning Monday, 10,000 law enforcement agencies nationwide, including Maryland State Police, will scour the roads to bust some of the estimated 27.5 million unbuckled travelers.

It’s known as “Click It or Ticket.” You know the drill. The campaign, which runs from May 20 through June 2, aims to enforce seat belt use to keep drivers and their passengers safe.

In nearly every state and Washington, D.C., it’s unlawful to ride in a vehicle without wearing a seat belt. New Hampshire is the lone state that has no seat belt law for adults.

Young adults 18-24 years old are less likely to wear a seat belt than older age groups, and men are less likely than women to buckle up, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Car crashes are a leading cause of death for Americans ages 1-54, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but seat belts saved nearly 15,000 lives in 2017.

“If all passenger vehicle occupants 5 and older had worn their seat belts that same year, it’s estimated an additional 2,549 lives could have been saved,” the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in a news release.

More than 10,000 unbuckled people died in passenger vehicle crashes in 2017 nationwide, more than half of which were at night.

While state data show that 92.1 percent of people tend to wear their seat belts in Maryland, those who do not are part of a much more grim statistic.

Of the 550 people killed in crashes in Maryland in 2017 — the latest year for which data was available — a little more than 20 percent were not restrained, according to the NHTSA.

So far in 2019, Maryland State Police reports that its troopers have issued 4,611 citations and 3,604 warnings for seat belt violations as of mid May.

In 2018 as a whole, police said they issued 11,243 citations and 8,805 warnings for seat belt violations.

During the nationwide "Click It or Ticket" campaign, Maryland State Police will be on the lookout to ensure everyone is buckled in, and troopers will be enforcing another measure at the same time — the "Move Over Law."

First passed in 2010 in Maryland to ensure safety around emergency response and law enforcement vehicles, the law was expanded in 2014 to include tow trucks and was amended in 2018 to include recycling trucks, trash trucks and service/utility vehicles with yellow or amber flashing lights or signal devices.

The Move Over Law requires drivers approaching these vehicles to do the following:

• Move into a lane not immediately adjacent to the emergency vehicle.
• Slow down if it is not possible to move.

Maryland's Move Over law aims to reduce the number of fatalities, such as the death of a volunteer firefighter in Cecil County in 2013 and a Port Deposit man killed working on I-695 near Milford Mill in 2014.

"The intent of the law is to provide an extra barrier of safety for police officers, firefighters, and emergency rescue personnel working along Maryland roads. It is hoped that drivers will become more aware of police and emergency workers stopped along the road and move away from them or slow down as they pass by the traffic stop or incident scene," police said in a statement.

As awareness has grown in Maryland, police said the number of violations has gone down.

Violation of the Move Over law can lead to a fine of $110 and one point.

If the violation contributes to a crash, the fine is $150 and three points.

If the violation contributes to a traffic crash resulting in death or serious injury, the fine is $750 and three points.

Special enforcement of the Move Over Law started Thursday, May 16, in Maryland, and it will also run during the Click It Or Ticket campaign, through Sunday, June 2.

Patch national staffer Dan Hampton contributed to this report.