Police: Buckle Up or Face a Fine

The nationwide Click It or Ticket seat belt awareness campaign is under way and local police agencies are advising residents to buckle up.

West Caldwell Police Chief Michael Bramhall said his department will be increasing enforcement of seat belt laws over Memorial Day weekend. Patrol officers will be extra vigilant during routine patrols and "random and sporadic" checkpoints will be set up throughout the long weekend, Bramhall said.

Local drivers can expect increased enforcement in Caldwell as well.

"The Caldwell Police Department will be actively participating in this program and would like to remind everyone to Buckle Up for Safety," reads the agency's Facebook page.

According to Caldwell Police Chief James  Bongiorno, failure to wear a seat belt in a front seat is a primary offense in New Jersey and probable cause to stop a vehicle. He said all front seat passengers are required to wear seat belts and children 8 to 18 years of age must wear them regardless of where they are seated.

As of January 2010, New Jersey state law requires all passengers regardless of position in a vehicle to wear a seat belt. Passengers over 18 not wearing a seat belt in a rear seat may be issued a summons as a secondary offense if the vehicle has been stopped for a primary offense. The fine for an adult violation is $46, and increases to $54 for an unbuckled child. Read more about the state's seat belt laws at www.nj.gov.

This year's Click It or Ticket campaign run by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration uses humor to get the point across. Drivers are warned not to pretend their seat belts are on when they pass a patrol car or spot a checkpoint. The slogan: "Try a seat belt fake-out. Land a real ticket."

Bongiorno said officers can easily differentiate between a buckled passenger and a fake-out.

“You can tell how it's supposed to be properly across the body and secured,” Bongiorno said.

The NHTSA Click It or Ticket Campaign began on Monday, May 21 and runs through Sunday, June 3. To read more about the myths and reality of seat belt use, visit www.nhtsa.gov.