Avalon Police to Participate in “Click It or Ticket” Campaign

AVALON – The Avalon Police Department will again participate in a statewide enforcement effort to remind motorists to buckle up and wear their safety belts. Avalon Police will be active in the “Click It or Ticket” campaign that runs from May 23rd through June 5th, 2011.
“The ‘Click It or Ticket’ campaign is perfectly timed since it includes Memorial Day weekend, the official start of the summer tourism season”, said Avalon Police Chief David Dean. “The single most important act a driver and passenger in a motor vehicle can do is buckle up. Seat belts save lives”.
Research shows that using a seat belt is the simplest way for a driver and his or her passengers to protect themselves while travelling. Motor vehicle occupants who buckle up increase their chances of surviving a crash by as much as 75 percent. Last year, the front seat belt usage rate in New Jersey rose for the 14th consecutive year to 93.73 percent. In 2011, police around the state will remind drivers and passengers to buckle up even while riding in the back seat of a motor vehicle.
“Legislation requiring adult back seat passengers to buckle up became law last year”, Chief Dean said. “Unfortunately, new research shows that adult back seat belt use stands at only 27 percent. It is very important for drivers and passengers to recognize that seat belt use not only saves lives, but is the law in our state”.
In 2010, there were 554 motor vehicle fatalities in New Jersey. A large percentage of those who were killed were not wearing a seat belt. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that 135,000 lives were saved by safety belt usage nationally between 1975 and 2000.
Last year’s “Click It or Ticket” campaign in New Jersey involved 406 police agencies. A total of 35,671 citations were handed out for seat belt violations. Nearly 600 drunk driving arrests were also made during this campaign.