Buckle Up In NY Parks: State Cops Start Summer 2018 Crackdown

New York state and park police say they're still seeing a dangerous and disturbing trend: cars full of people without seat belts on. Especially children. This year's campaign to turn that trend around starts Saturday.

New York was the first state with a primary seat belt law. Compliance is high—93 percent statewide as of 2017. PR campaigns like Buckle Up New York have been considered extremely successful.

Except, apparently, for park visitors. They're less compliant themselves and they're not taking care of their kids. So it's time again for BUNY in the Parks, a summertime initiative from the state police that concentrates on seat belt and child seat safety for those communing with nature in New York's great parks.

"When you enter a state park, you go there to relax and enjoy the beautiful scenery and recreational opportunities, but don’t relax when it comes to safety," said Terri Egan, Executive Deputy Commissioner of the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles and Acting Chair of the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee. “Keep all belts and restraints buckled as long as the car is in motion.”

Motor vehicle crashes continue to be a leading cause of death for children. Additionally, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that in 2016, more than one-third (35 percent) of children under the age of 13 killed in car crashes were not restrained using seat belts, car seats or booster seats.

Ensuring motorists adhere to proper child restraint laws will, no doubt, protect the lives of many who cannot speak for themselves, state officials said.

This year’s campaign will be held from July 14 to Aug. 13. This initiative coincides with one of the peak times that visitors travel to state parks throughout New York State, and the goal is for motorists and their families to arrive and depart safely.

During the 2017 BUNY in the Parks campaign, State Police and State Park Police issued more than 43,089 total tickets. That included 929 tickets for child restraint violations, and 1,921 tickets for adult seatbelt violations.

Highlights of New York State's occupant restraint law:

• In the front seat, the driver and each passenger must wear a seat belt, one person per belt. The driver and front-seat passengers aged 16 or older can be fined up to $50 each for failure to buckle up.
• Every occupant, regardless of age or seating position, of a motor vehicle being operated by the holder of a Class-DJ Learner Permit, a Limited Class-DJ, or Class-DJ Driver License must be restrained by a safety restraint.
• Each passenger under age 16 must wear a seat belt or use an appropriate child safety restraint system. The restraint system must comply with the child height and weight recommendations determined by the manufacturer. Depending on the size of the child, the restraint system may be a safety seat or a booster seat used in combination with a lap and shoulder belt.
• The driver must make sure that each passenger under age 16 obeys the law. The driver can be fined $25 to $100 and receive up to three driver license penalty points for each violation.

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