'Click It Or Ticket' Campaign Begins In Berkeley

BERKELEY, NJ — Buckle up! New Jersey's annual "Click it or Ticket" campaign has started up again. Berkeley Township police are one of 145 law enforcement agencies that received a Highway Traffic Safety (HTS) grant to help during the campaign.

Beginning on May 23 and running for two weeks, the campaign targets drivers and passengers not wearing seatbelts, Acting Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said.

New Jersey State Police data shows that 2021 was the deadliest on New Jersey roadways in more than a decade, and this year is shaping up to be even worse for fatal crashes and highway deaths, Platkin said.

“Wearing a seat belt is the single most effective way to prevent death and serious injury in a car crash,” said Acting Attorney General Platkin. “Educating the public on the importance of buckling up is critical to our ongoing efforts to reverse the alarming uptick in fatal crashes and prevent the senseless loss of lives on New Jersey roadways.”

HTS grants totaling more than $890,000 were given to law enforcement agencies in NJ to help pay for enforcement initiatives.

Berkeley police received $7,000 in grant money for the campaign.

Across the campaign, participating law enforcement agencies will be taking a “no-excuses” approach to seat belt enforcement, writing citations throughout the day and with a particular focus on nighttime enforcement, Platkin said. In New Jersey, the maximum penalty for a seat belt violation is $46.

Platkin said that law enforcement agencies that participated last year issued 9,755 seatbelt citations statewide, wrote 3,936 speeding tickets and made 555 impaired driving arrests.

To learn more about the Click It or Ticket mobilization, visit www.nhtsa.gov/ciot.

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