The New London Police Department will be part of a nationwide law enforcement effort to enforce seat belt laws next week when it participates in Click It or Ticket.
Although the laws are in effect year-round, the Click It or Ticket effort is a campaign by the Department of Transportatin's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to increase awareness and enforcement of the rule. The latest effort will run from Dec. 3 to 16.
“Too many drivers and passengers on the road at night are not wearing their seat belts, and it all too often ends in tragedy,” said Deputy Chief Peter Reichard. “Our goal is to save more lives, so the New London Police Department will be out enforcing seat belt laws around the clock.”
Reichard said NHTSA statistics show that 51 percent of the 22,187 drivers or passengers killed in crashes in 2010 were not wearing their seat belts. The administration's statistics credit seat belts for saving 12,546 lives in the same year. The statistics report that the group most at risk are men between the ages of 18 and 34. Of the men in this age group killed in 2010 car accidents, 66 percent were not buckled in.
"Those who choose not to wear a seat belt will feel the heat from our officers who will be out cracking down on Click It or Ticket violators," said Reichard. "Motorists should buckle up every time they go out, both day and night. Our officers are prepared to ticket anyone not buckled up; no warnings and no excuses."
Connecticut law requires all occupants of motor vehicles to wear seat belts. Each violation of the law will result in a $92 fine.
