708 Summonses Issued During Riverhead's Participation In 'Buckle Up New York - Click it or Ticket' Initiative

RIVERHEAD, NY — The Riverhead Town Police Department has concluded their participation in the two-week Governor's Traffic Safety Committee's sponsored "Buckle Up New York - Click it or Ticket" Campaign — resulting in 708 summonses issued, officials said.

The initiative, spearhead by Gov. Kathy Hochul, ran from May 18 to May 31, officials said.

During the campaign, the Riverhead Police Department utilized patrol methods and seatbelt/safety checkpoints to enforce seat belt compliance as well as other vehicle and traffic violations, police said.

Three checkpoints were conducted throughout the town, authorities said.

One of those checkpoints was conducted West Main Street near Kroemer Avenue after 4 p.m. and is considered a nighttime enforcement, police said, adding that the utilization of seatbelts at night is just as important as during the day.

The other two checkpoints were held during daytime and were located on Route 105 near Route 2 and on the Route 495, Exit 73 entrance ramp, polcie said.

The three checkpoints resulted in 218 summonses being issued: of which 48 summonses were issued for seatbelt violations, nine for child restraint violations, 18 for cell phone violations and 143 for "other" vehicle and traffic violations such as unlicensed operator, operating a motor vehicle with a revoked/suspended license, uninspected vehicles, cracked windshields and unregistered vehicles, police said.

The campaign, which included both checkpoints and patrol enforcement, resulted in a total of 708 summonses issued; of which 97 were issued for seatbelt violations, 20 for child restraint violations, 58 for cell phone violations and 708 for "other" vehicle and traffic violations, police said.

The Riverhead Town Police Department will also be participating in other Governor's Traffic Safety Committee-sponsored campaigns throughout the summer months such as "STEP", a Selective Traffic Enforcement Program that targets aggressive driving violators, police said.

The following are some of the violations considered aggressive driving violations: failure to yield the right of way, following too closely (tailgating), unsafe lane changing, unsafe passing, failure to signal, stop sign violations and disregarding traffic control devices such as red lights, police said.

Officers will also enforce violators who fail to properly stop before making a right on a red light signal, officials said.

During the month of August, the Riverhead Police Department will be participating in the GTSC sponsored campaign "Speed Week," which targets those areas within the town where speeding is a major issue.