'Click it or Ticket' Continues Through Sunday

along with police in nearby communities such as Bernardsville and Far Hills, will continue this mobilization to enforce seat belt laws for both front and back seat vehicle occupants.

The stepped up patrols and check points that are part of the program are due to continue through this Sunday, June 3. The two-week program began May 21.

Bernards Township polive have conducted multiple seat belt check points at a number of locations, said Police Lt. Ted Reese.

Those locations include South Finley Avenue in the center of Basking Ridge; on Martinsville Road by the Liberty Corner First Aid Squad building; on Lyons Road by the Lyons Mall; on Mount Airy Road near the Route 287 interchange; and along King George Road by Dewey Meadow shopping plaza, he said.

The checkpoints have been conducted during peak vehicle traffic periods such as rush hour and mid-day around lunch, Reese said.

Fine same for front or back seat

The fine for not wearing a seat belt is $46, the same for either a front-seat or rear-seat violation, Reese said.

The statewide program has offered grant money for additional patrols during the Click It or Ticket campaign, but this year police in Bernardsville and Bernards Township said they did not receive funding for participation.

The Click it or Ticket program was adopted in 2003, and Bernards Township police have participated in previous years, said Reese. The program is described as a zero tolerance approach to seat belt enforcement during the two-week period, he said.

The statewide program also is described as a way to "raise public awareness to one of the greatest threats to us all, death or serious injury as a result of a traffic crash," according to the announcement by township police.

"Wearing a seatbelt is the one single thing a driver can do to reduce the risk of injury and death when involved in a collision," said Bernardsville Police Chief Kevin Valentine.

Reese said the state’s primary seat belt law requires all motorists and passengers in the front seat to wear a seat belt. This is a primary violation and the driver can be pulled over if either the driver or front seat passenger is observed not wearing a seat belt, according to the police announcement.

However, on Jan. 18, 2010, state legislation was signed into law requiring all motor vehicle occupants to use seat belts regardless of their seating position in a vehicle. This new law also allows the police to issue a summons to back seat passengers that are not wearing seat belts, the announcement said.

"Instilling seat belt use is an important life safety issue and should become a normal reaction when you get into a vehicle," observed Far Hills Chief Kenneth Hartmann, where police also will participate in statewide initiative during the same time period.

Hartman added that the seat belt program brings more officers out on patrol or at check points on local streets, where they can also discover other violations during the annual program.

Bernardsville police on patrols have been instructed to "be alert to seat belt violations and take the appropriate action." He added, "In past years local seatbelt surveys have indicated the program is successful in increasing seatbelt compliance."