(Atlantic City Expressway) - Attorney
General Peter C. Harvey joined law enforcement,
traffic safety and medical professionals
today, to announce a second wave of enforcement
of the State’s primary seat belt
law in Southern New Jersey. Starting today
and continuing through Friday, November
18, 2005, police will continue their relentless
enforcement by stopping vehicles and issuing
summonses to motorists who refuse to buckle
up.
“Seat
belts save lives. Seat belts reduce the
risk of fatal injury to front-seat passenger
car occupants by 45 percent,” said
Attorney General Harvey. “Improve
your odds of survival by buckling up on
every trip.”
According to Division of Highway Traffic
Safety Director Roberto Rodriguez, South
Jersey has a seat belt usage rate which
is lower than the overall state average
of 86%. That figure represents the highest
usage rate in the State’s history
and was achieved following this year’s
‘Click It or Ticket’ spring
mobilization. It has provided the momentum
for this campaign as the holiday season
approaches and traffic volumes increase
as a result. Law enforcement’s efforts
will be ongoing to achieve 100% compliance
of the Seat Belt Law in New Jersey.
“The
use of seat belts is not only the law
in New Jersey, it’s one of the simplest
ways to reduce needless injuries and fatalities,”
said Director Rodriguez. “It takes
seconds to buckle up, but if you don’t,
it can take a lifetime to deal with a
tragedy that didn’t have to happen.”
According to the National Center for Statistics
and Analysis, in 2004, 29,510 passenger
vehicle occupant fatalities for which
restraint use was known, an estimated
16,364 (55%) more than half, were unrestrained.
Entitled “BUCKLE UP SOUTH JERSEY,”
today’s announcement kicked off
at the New Jersey State Police Atlantic
City Expressway Station.
Grant applications were sent to 112 police
departments in South Jersey. The Division
grants provide $2,000 to cover overtime
costs for Seat Belt Checkpoints and Patrols.
The success of “Buckle Up South
Jersey” will be determined by each
participating police agency. A pre-mobilization
survey of 200 vehicles, to determine compliance
with the law, will be taken in each jurisdiction
and the process will continue with a second
survey following the campaign.
The Division, in partnership with law
enforcement, wants the public to know
that BUCKLING UP is a year-round proposition.
While there are several high-intensity
mobilizations during the year, police
vigilance and enforcement is carried out
twenty-four hours a day, all year long.
Don’t become a statistic. Use your
Seat Belt. It’s the Law.