'Click It Or Ticket' Campaign Kicks Off In Somerset County

SOMERSET COUNTY, NJ — Somerset and Hunterdon county officers will be cracking down on unbuckled motorists and passengers as part of the national “Click it or Ticket” campaign.

The annual campaign kicks off on Monday, May 22 and runs through June 4 and will include high visibility seat belt checkpoints and additional patrols.

“Using a seat belt is the simplest way for a driver and his or her passengers to protect themselves when traveling,” said Gary Poedubicky, Acting Director of the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety. "In 2015, it is estimated that 14,000 lives were saved nationally by the proper use of seat belts.”

The campaign is not targeting drivers but passengers in both the front and the back of the car must be wearing a seat belt.

The front seat belt usage rate in New Jersey currently stands at 93.35 percent. However, adults riding in rear seats are buckling up at a significantly lower rate.

During the 2016 “Click it or Ticket” campaign, 387 New Jersey police agencies participated in the two-week initiative. As a result of the effort, law enforcement officers issued 26,551 seat belt citations, 5,517 speeding summonses and made 876 impaired driving arrests.

(Image via Shutterstock)

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