Police are urging everyone to buckle up — and taking action if they don’t.
A campaign to enforce seat belt use began Monday and will continue through June 5 with law enforcement officials out in full force, taking part in what they’re calling the 2016 Buckle Up New York.
Law enforcement agencies including New York State Police, county sheriff’s offices and other municipal police agencies have joined forces to provide increased seat belt enforcement, sending a zero-tolerance message to the public: driving or riding unbuckled will result in a ticket, no matter what state.
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 9,385 passenger vehicle occupants killed in 2014 were not wearing their seat belts at the time of the crash. Statistically unbelted fatalities are more prevalent at night than during the daytime: 58 percent of those killed in 2014 during the overnight hours of 6 p.m. to 5:59 a.m. were unbelted at the time of the crash.
Thousands of Americans are alive today because a seat belt saved them during a crash. In 2014, the use of seat belts in passenger vehicles saved an estimated 12,802 lives. From 2010 to 2014, seat belts saved an estimated 63,000 lives. So while this year’s enforcement mobilization runs through June 5, officers will continue to save lives by enforcing seat belt laws year-round.
