HARRISBURG – As part of Pennsylvania’s 2009 Click It or Ticket initiative, police departments throughout the region will participate in a coordinated effort to conduct seatbelt checks on the afternoon of May 21.
The May 21 coordinated effort is part of the Click It or Ticket mobilization running from May 18 – June 7. More than 450 municipal police departments and the Pennsylvania State Police plan to participate in this initiative.
Under Click It or Ticket, a motorist who is stopped and cited for a traffic violation will receive a second ticket and second fine for not buckling up. In addition, PennDOT reminds motorists there are three seat belt violations that are primary offenses:
• Drivers are responsible for securing children from birth to age four in an approved child safety seat.
• A driver who is under the age of 18 may not operate a vehicle where the number of passengers exceeds the number of available seat belts.
• Federal law requires commercial vehicle operators to wear a seat belt.
Last year in Pennsylvania, 567 of the 1,468 crash fatalities were drivers or passengers who did not use a seatbelt. In addition, 65 percent of nighttime fatalities were unbuckled.
Encouraging seat belt use is one of the primary messages of PennDOT’s new Drive Safe PA campaign, which reminds motorists to avoid life-threatening behaviors behind the wheel. Through Drive Safe PA, PennDOT aims to save at least 100 or more lives on the state’s roads each year. For more information on Drive Safe PA, contact the PennDOT Press Office at RA-penndotpress@state.pa.us.
