Cops to Start Holiday Crackdown Monday

Beginning May 23, running through Memorial Day weekend and concluding June 5, state police will be out in full force, cracking down on motorists who are not wearing a seatbelt.

State police will be joining law enforcement agencies across the Eastern United States in mobilizing the 2016 Click It or Ticket campaign.

“Occupant safety is a year-round traffic priority for the New York State Police in Troop K," Captain Thomas H. Jones of Troop K said in the announcement. "Troopers will be focusing on educating the public about the importance of utilizing a seat belt and enforcing the law during this Click It or Ticket campaign.”

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 9,385 passenger vehicle occupants killed in 2014 were not wearing their seat belts at the time of the crash, officials said. Statistically unbelted fatalities are more prevalent at night than during the daytime: 58 percent of those killed in 2014 during the overnight hours of 6 p.m. to 5:59 a.m. were unbelted at the time of the crash.

Law enforcement agencies are joining forces to provide increased seat belt enforcement sending a zero tolerance message to the public: driving or riding unbuckled will result in a ticket, no matter what state.

"Our troopers see first-hand the injuries suffered by those who don't buckle up when they climb into a vehicle," New York State Police Superintendent Joseph A. D'Amico said. "During this campaign, we will be looking for those who are not using seatbelts and making certain they understand that taking just a few seconds to buckle up could be a life-saving decision."

State officials said thousands of Americans are alive today because a seat belt saved them during a crash. In 2014, the use of seat belts in passenger vehicles saved an estimated 12,802 lives. From 2010 to 2014, seat belts saved an estimated 63,000 lives.

So while this year’s Click It or Ticket enforcement mobilization runs from May 23rd – June 5th, officers will continue to save lives by enforcing seat belt laws year-round, police said.

For more on the national Click It or Ticket mobilization, please visit www.nhtsa.gov