Zero Tolerance for Seat Belt Violations Over Memorial Day Weekend

PennDOT will partner with more than 600 law enforcement agencies and the Pennsylvania State Police to participate in a national “Click It or Ticket” seat-belt enforcement effort through June 9.

The effort will focus largely on nighttime enforcement, using traffic safety checkpoints and roving patrols. Police will also use Traffic Enforcement Zones, which combine roving patrol and checkpoint tactics on roadways with high numbers of unbuckled crashes.

According to PennDOT data, 503 people died last year in unbelted crashes, a
decrease from 509 such fatalities in 2011. The total number of crashes in which people were not wearing seat belts also decreased to 15,528, compared with 16,298 in 2011.

The majority of enforcement will occur at night, as 275 unbuckled fatalities occurred last year between 6 p.m. and 5:59 a.m.

Of those, 170 occurred between 10 p.m. and 2:59 a.m.

“With heavy traffic expected for the Memorial Day holiday weekend, it’s crucial that we encourage drivers now to make sure that all passengers are properly restrained whenever they travel,” State Police Commissioner Frank Noonan said. “I’m again directing our troopers to adopt a zero-tolerance policy toward violations of the state’s seat belt and child passenger restraint laws
during this campaign period.”

Motorists are reminded that Pennsylvania’s primary seat-belt law requires drivers and passengers under 18 to buckle up, and children under 4 must be properly restrained in an approved child safety seat. Children ages 4 to 8 must be restrained in an appropriate booster seat. In addition, children ages 8 to 18 must be must be in a seat belt when riding anywhere in the vehicle.

Also, drivers and front-seat passengers 18 or older are required to buckle up. If motorists are stopped for a traffic violation and are not wearing their seat belt, they can receive a second ticket and second fine.

Funding for this enforcement effort comes from part of PennDOT’s statewide distribution of $1.7 million in federal funds from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Visit www.JustDrivePA.com for more information on seat-belt safety and
PennDOT’s other traffic-safety initiatives.