The New York State Police is again putting the spotlight on seat belts this week with the annual “Buckle Up New York” blitz.
Maj. Christopher Cummings said the latest zero-tolerance enforcement blitz began Monday and will continue through May 31.
The program involves more than 500 police agencies throughout the state and will include safety restraint checkpoints and special patrols dedicated to seat-belt enforcement.
The Memorial Day holiday weekend, considered the unofficial opening of the summer travel season, is the perfect time to remind people about the importance of seat belts, Cummings said.
“Buckling up clearly saves lives, and if you don’t, you will be ticketed,” Cummings said in a news release. “Unfortunately, too many New Yorkers still need a tough reminder, and we’re going to provide it.”
Cummings said the enforcement blitz is “a matter of life and death.”
“It’s tragic and unnecessary, but someone we know will likely die or be unnecessarily injured for failing to take one simple step — buckling up,” he said.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, highway crashes in 2007 killed 41,059 people and injured more than 2.4 million others. About 54 percent of those killed were unrestrained.
Among those killed were 2,022 children and 3,108 young drivers, age 16-20.
“Kids and young adults learn best by example, and parents set that example,” Cummings said. “Infants and toddlers are even more vulnerable, because they can’t buckle up themselves — they must rely on adults to do it for them.”
During last year’s blitz, troopers issued 19,000 safety restraint citations statewide, including 877 for child seat violations.
Cummings said local troopers will conduct 15 safety restraint checkpoints during the enforcement sweep.
SEAT-BELT LAWS
New York State law requires:
- All front seat occupants must be secured, regardless of age.
- All rear seat passengers under age 16 must be secured.
- Children under age 4 must be properly restrained in a federally-approved child safety seat.
- Children under age 4 but weighing more than 40 pounds may be restrained in a booster seat with a combined lap/shoulder seatbelt.
- Children ages 4, 5 an 6 must be properly secured in an appropriate child restraint system, based on their height and weight.
- Children riding in booster seats must be secured with a combined lap/shoulder seatbelt, unless the vehicle is not equipped with lap/shoulder belts, or all lap/shoulder belts are already being used. In either of those cases, the child should be secured in a lap belt without the booster seat.
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