State Police Issue 2,774 Tickets During 'Buckle Up' Effort

WATERTOWN, N.Y., June 4  — Troopers in the Watertown state police zone, which includes Jefferson, Lewis and northern Oswego counties, issued 2,774 summonses during the May 19 to June 1 "Buckle Up New York" campaign. 

Ninety-eight of the citations were for not using proper child restraints, and 1,699 were for seat belt infractions, State Police Zone Sgt. Robert Dixon told Newzjunky.com. 

"Buckling up clearly saves lives, and if you don’t, you will be ticketed,” Major Donald X. Depass, Troop D Commander, said.  “Unfortunately, too many New Yorkers still need a tough reminder, and we’re going to provide it.” 

Recent statistics indicate that roughly 15 percent of motorists in New York still fail to wear safety restraints and it is likely that number is even higher during nighttime hours. 

“Motorists will travel in and through our Troop in large numbers, as they do at this time every year,” the Major added.  “It’s tragic and unnecessary, but someone we know will likely die or be unnecessarily injured for failing to take one simple step – buckling up.  It really is a matter of life and death.”

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), highway crashes killed 30,521 motor vehicle occupants during 2006; over 55 percent of those victims were not wearing their safety restraints.  Crashes also kill more children between the ages of two and 14 than any other cause.

Major Depass  stressed that all vehicle occupants, regardless of age, should be properly restrained. 

“Kids and young adults learn best by example, and parents set that example,” he said.  “Infants and toddlers are even more vulnerable, because they can’t buckle up themselves – they must rely on adults to do it for them.” 

National studies have shown belted drivers are far more likely than unbelted operators to restrain their children. Last year, during “Buckle Up America Week,” which included the Memorial Day holiday weekend, the New York State Police investigated four fatal crashes in New York, which claimed  five lives. Tragically, three of those killed would likely be alive today if they had simply been wearing their seatbelts. 

Law enforcement agencies in New York State initiated the Buckle Up New York Campaign in
1999.  Although the state’s safety belt usage rate has hovered around 85 percent over the last three years, highway safety advocates are hopeful that New York will achieve, and ultimately surpass, the 90 percent mark.

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