Authorities in the state of New York announced a major enforcement effort targeting seat belt violations.
On November 17, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that the “Buckle Up New York, Click It or Ticket” enforcement effort was underway and would continue statewide until November 29.
Cuomo says that state and local law enforcement will use “marked and unmarked vehicles, checkpoints, and roving details to patrol for unbelted occupants.”
In New York, police may issue citations for seat belt violations even if the driver has not committed another offense.
“Wearing your seat belt isn’t only the law, but it’s the smartest choice you can make to help prevent a needless tragedy,” Governor Cuomo said. “New York has been a national leader on this issue ever since my father helped institute the country’s first seat belt law, and while we’ve made a great deal of progress over the years, we still see instances where they are not being used. There is no debate — seat belts save lives and we will continue to raise awareness on this undisputable fact to help ensure all those who travel on New York’s roadways do so safely.”
According to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 37,133 people were killed in motor vehicle crashes nationwide in 2017 and 47 percent of those killed were not wearing seat belts. The NHTSA estimates that in 2017, seat belts saved 14,955 lives and an additional 2,549 people could have been saved had they been wearing a seat belt.