State Police To Begin ‘Click It or Ticket’ Enforcement Campaign

State Police and local law enforcement agencies are stepping up enforcement of seat belt laws in New York for the next two weeks.

There will be several safety belt checkpoints set up to ensure seat belt laws are being followed. As a reminder, all front seat passengers are required to be secured and passengers under 16 are to be secured in the rear seats.

According to New York State Law, the following seat belt laws are to be followed.

Under New York State Law:
·         All front seat occupants must be properly secured, regardless of age;
·         All rear seat passengers under 16 years of age must be properly secured;
·         Children up to the age of 4 must be properly restrained in a federally approved child safety seat that is attached to a vehicle by a seat belt or universal child restraint anchorage (LATCH) system.
·         Children less than age 4 but weighing more than 40 pounds may be restrained in a booster seat with a lap/shoulder safety belt. However, a child safety seat that accommodates higher weights can be used.
·         Children ages 4, 5, 6 and 7 must be properly secured in an appropriate child restraint system, one for which the child meets the height and weight recommendations of the child restraint manufacturer.
·         A vehicle's safety belt is NOT a child restraint system.
·         Children riding in booster seats must be secured with a combination lap/shoulder seat belt (State Police advise motorists to NEVER secure a child in a booster seat with only a lap belt).

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says over 13,000 lives were saved due to proper safety belt usage across the country in 2015. In New York State over 400 lives were saved in 2015. The stepped-up enforcement period will run from Monday, May 22nd, 2017 to Sunday, June 4th, 2017.