'Click It Or Ticket' Seatbelt Enforcement In Focus This Month

WALL, NJ -- Police departments and other law enforcement agencies will be on the lookout for people not wearing seatbelts as Memorial Day weekend approaches, as the nationwide Click It or Ticket campaign kicks into gear.

Some towns have received $5,000 grants from the state Division of Highway Safety for added patrols focused on seatbelt usage, but even towns that have not received the funds will be on the lookout. While Wall did not, nearby Spring Lake Heights and Neptune did. The Monmouth County Sheriff's Office also received a grant.

The nationwide campaign runs from May 23 to June 5 and incorporates zero-tolerance enforcement of seatbelt laws with paid advertising and the support of government agencies, local coalitions and school officials to increase safety belt use, the state Division of Highway Safety said in a news release.

Click It or Ticket campaigns and similar efforts have increased safety belt use in cities, states and even in an entire region of the country.

New Jersey's seatbelt usage rate currently stands at 91.36 percent, up from 87.59 percent in 2014; it is the highest usage rate since the 94.51 percent that was recorded in 2011.