DRPA Police Combat Motor Vehicle Fatalities with Education, Enforcement
Saturday, May 25, 2019
Annual "Click It or Ticket" Seat Belt Awareness Campaign has Begun
The Delaware River Port Authority Public Safety Department will join PennDOT and other law enforcement professionals from across the United States in the "Click It or Ticket" seat belt awareness campaign on Thursday, May 16 to be held in Chester, Pa. at Talen Energy Stadium.
"As stewards of the region’s critical transportation infrastructure, the Delaware River Port Authority Police Department is committed to preserve and protect the safety of the region through dedication, service, trust, and integrity. We look forward to working with our external partners in supporting the Click It or Ticket Public Awareness Campaign. Throughout the region, we will place a focus on educating drivers that wearing seats belts save lives,” said DRPA Captain of Police Edward Cobbs.
DRPA police efforts will focus on stepping up enforcement of New Jersey’s primary seat belt law and on educating motorists about the importance of buckling up in moving vehicles. Variable message signs at all four DRPA bridges will inform drivers about the “Click It or Ticket” campaign.
“Seat belts save lives,” said Cobbs. “Decades worth of data makes that perfectly clear. When our officers remind drivers and passengers to buckle up, they’re doing it to save lives.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has concluded accidents, including motor vehicle crashes, are the leading cause of death for people between the ages of 1 and 54. Seat belts reduce the risk of death by 45% and reduce the risk of injury by 50%.
Motor vehicles specifically are the leading cause of death among teens. In addition, more than 2.6 million adult drivers and passengers were treated in hospital emergency departments for injuries resulting from car accidents in 2012. One (1) in seven (7) do not wear seatbelt while driving. Drivers not wearing a seatbelt are 30 times more likely to be ejected from a vehicle during a crash.
States like New Jersey which have primary enforcement seatbelt laws (which allow officers to stop a vehicle and issue tickets when one or more passengers are not wearing seat belts) have a significantly higher buckle-up rate than states that have secondary enforcement seat belt laws (where tickets for not wearing seat belts can only be issued when the vehicle is pulled over for another violation) or no seat belt law at all — 88 percent compared to 80 percent, according to CDC figures.
“Click It or Ticket” was launched in North Carolina in 1993. Since then, national seat belt use has increased from approximately 65 percent to more than 85 percent, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association.