Seatbelt Summonses Top List In Route 528 Traffic Policing: Prosecutor

BRICK, NJ — More than 70 seatbelt summonses were issued to drivers along Route 528 during a two-week focused policing effort along the highway, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office said Thursday.

The prosecutor's office released a brief update on the enforcement effort, which was in place from June 17 to June 30. During that time, 311 vehicles were stopped, with 211 summonses issued and six people arrested, said Al Della Fave, spokesman for the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office.

"Most disturbing was that seatbelt summonses topped the charts at 73," he said. "It can’t be stressed enough the importance of wearing seatbelts for the safety of all vehicle occupants."

On the positive side, just eight speeding tickets were issued, he said.

"(The prosecutor's office) and the partnering agencies pray that trend continues making for a safer roadway," he said.

The coordinated enforcement effort along Route 528 — which covers 26 miles from Mantoloking through Brick, Lakewood, Jackson and Plumsted townships in Ocean County, and into and Plumsted Borough encompasses five (5) municipal jurisdictions traversing 26 miles of roadway in Ocean County and stretches another 14 miles into Burlington County — was announced in June as a response to an increase in fatal crashes along the road in 2015, Prosecutor Joseph Coronato said.

The stretch from Cedar Bridge Avenue in Brick to West Veterans Highway in Jackson has been a continual hotspot over the last four years, according to the prosecutor's office, with stretches of the road listed among the top 10 each year since 2012 in figures provided by the prosecutor's office.

"The coordinated enforcement element has concluded, but policing agencies along Route 528 will continue to make traffic safety patrols a priority," Della Fave said. "Now that the partnership logistics and plans have been worked out, the coordinated enforcement element can be quickly reinstituted in the event of increased reports of accidents or dangerous driving behaviors."

"We continue to ask the motoring public to police themselves by simply driving responsibly," he said.

Ocean County Prosecutor Joseph Coronato (center), with Lakewood Capt. Greg Meyer and Brick Township Police Chief James Riccio (second from right) pose on Route 528 for the announcement of the traffic policing initiative. Ocean County Prosecutor's Office photo