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State Police Start Holiday Enforcement

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The national Click it or Ticket campaign is underway through December 2nd.  It focuses on proper seatbelt and child safety seat usage.   But Pennsylvania State Police spokesman Trooper Adam Reed says that’s not all troopers will be looking for over the holiday.  He says they will also focus on aggressive driving and other violations.

Trooper Reed reminds drivers the seatbelt law is a primary offense for drivers and passengers under age 18, meaning they  must be properly restrained while riding in a motor vehicle, or you could be pulled over.  He encourages drivers to slow down and take their time over the busy holiday travel period.

As part of the campaign, State police will offer free child safety seat inspections. To get a list of sites, go to www.psp.state.pa.us.

Click It or Ticket is part of Pennsylvania’s “Operation Safe Holiday.”  PennDOT and police departments across the state are joining forces to increase enforcement through the New Year holiday.  Those efforts will include sobriety checkpoints, roving patrols and regular safety patrols.

The Thanksgiving holiday is one of the busiest travel periods of the year. Mothers Against Drunk Driving reports that 40% of the fatalities over the holiday weekend are related to driving under the influence of alcohol.

Click it or Ticket Campaign Underway

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State and local police are taking part in a national “Click it or Ticket” enforcement effort for the next three weeks.  The campaign runs through June 10th.

Police are emphasizing the state’s new primary seat belt law for drivers and passengers under 18. It allows an officer to pull over a vehicle when they observe someone under age 18 who is obviously not buckled up.

Police will also focus some of their enforcement efforts on night time seat belt  use, since nearly 300 unbuckled fatalities last year occurred between 6 pm and 6 am.

State Police spokesman Sgt Anthony Manetta says with the summer driving season quickly upon us, they want to stress to the public that the thing they can do to protect themselves the most is buckling up.

In 2011, the state had 509 unbuckled fatalities, down from 524 in 2010. But that number includes 66 teens ages 16 to 19, 32 of the victims were driving.

State Police will offer child safety seat checks.  Those interested should call their local barracks.

Pennsylvania State Police will Join National “Click It or Ticket” Campaign this week

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A holiday weekend is coming up and Pennsylvania State Police are launching a campaign in conjunction with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that reminds people to buckle up.   The “Click It or Ticket” campaign will run from May 23rd through June 5th.

State Police Commissioner Frank Noonan has instructed troopers to adopt a zero tolerance policy toward violations of Pennsylvania’s seat belt and child passenger safety restraint laws.

Noonan says “with heavy traffic expected for the Memorial Day holiday weekend, it’s crucial we encourage drivers now to make sure that all passengers are properly restrained whenever they travel.”

Spokesman Jack Lewis the goal is not to write tickets, but to get more people to buckle up.  He says the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation estimates the current seat belt usage rate at 88%.  Lewis says that means 12 out of every 100 people are not using their seat belts.

Troopers will be offering free child safety seat inspections in conjunction with the special enforcement period. They will teach parents how to correctly install and use safety seats.

State Police conducted voluntary inspections in September during Child Passenger Safety Week and found the majority were not installed properly. State Police say a little over 500 were checked that week and 75% of them had a problem.

For the locations and times of the free child safety seat inspections over the next two weeks, go to http://www.psp.state.pa.us/.

To learn more about Pennsylvania’s seat belt and child safety seat laws, visit http://www.buckleuppa.org/.