The Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee (GTSC) recently kicked off its annual “Buckle Up New York, Click it or Ticket” campaign. This education and enforcement mobilization runs through June 6 to promote seat belt use as the spring travel season ramps up.
New York State Police and local law enforcement agencies will use marked and unmarked vehicles, checkpoints, and roving details to ticket unbelted drivers during the campaign.
“Seat belts save lives, and by expanding the seat belt law to include rear-seat passengers, New York State is able to save even more lives,” said Mark J.F. Schroeder, Commissioner of the Department of Motor Vehicles and GTSC Chair. “We want to make sure everyone understands the law and, more importantly, knows the risks of not wearing a seat belt. Our Buckle Up New York campaign helps us do that. It is not about writing tickets; it is about educating the public that wearing a seat belt is necessary for your safety and the safety of others.”
In 1984, New York was the first state in the nation to pass legislation requiring drivers and front-seat passengers to use seat belts. Governor Cuomo signed legislation last year to strengthen the state’s seat belt laws to better protect everyone on New York’s roadways. As of November 1, 2020, everyone in passenger vehicles, regardless of where they sit, needs to wear a seat belt or be properly restrained in a child safety seat. In New York, police can lawfully ticket motorists for not wearing a seat belt even if they are not committing any other traffic infractions.
As part of its ongoing effort to make sure drivers and passengers are safe, GTSC’s Child Passenger Safety Program supports training on how to properly install child safety restraints. Through this program, law enforcement and various community safety partners offer free child car seat inspections by certified child passenger safety technicians year-round. Information for parents and caregivers is available at trafficsafety.ny.gov.
New York State Police Acting Superintendent Kevin P. Bruen said, “As the summer travel season officially begins, the State Police, State Parks Police, and our law enforcement partners strongly encourage the proper use of seat belts and child safety seats in motor vehicles. By simply buckling up, drivers and passengers dramatically reduce their risk of severe injury or death if they are in a crash. We will be working diligently to educate and enforce our state’s seat belt laws. Help us to save lives by buckling up. The life you save could be your own.”
For more information about traffic safety in New York State, visit the GTSC website at https://trafficsafety.ny.gov/.
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