Bernards Police to Crack Down On Unbuckled Drivers

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — If you are getting into a car make sure to buckle up. Bernards Police will be cracking down on unbuckled motorists and passengers as part of the statewide "Click It or Ticket" program.

The Bernards Township Police Department is receiving a $2,280 grant for extra patrols to enforce seat belt usage.

The seat belt enforcement campaign aimed at promoting safe travels begins Monday and runs through June 6, and is part of statewide and national efforts to remind people to wear their seat belts.

The campaign begins with a one-day, four-hour "Border to Border" enforcement event that is a joint effort of New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania law enforcement and will feature highly visible seat belt enforcement for drivers at state border checkpoints.

"Seat belts have been proven to be one of the best ways to prevent death and serious injury in a crash. Yet statistics show that many people still don't buckle up," Attorney General Grewal said. "The Click It or Ticket enforcement campaign is aimed at educating the public on the importance of abiding by seat belt laws. It could literally save your life."

In 2019, nearly half of the 22,215 passenger-vehicle occupants killed in crashes nationwide were not wearing seat belts, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ("NHTSA"). In New Jersey that year, 42 percent — 108 of the 260 — passenger-vehicle occupants who were killed were unrestrained, NHTSA reports. And in passenger vehicle fatalities occurring at night (6 p.m. – 5:59 a.m.), the percentage of those killed and not wearing seat belts jumps to 55 percent.

Across the campaign, participating law enforcement agencies will be taking a "no-excuses" approach to seat belt enforcement, writing citations throughout the day and with a particular focus on nighttime enforcement. In New Jersey, the maximum penalty for a seat belt violation is $46.

The Click It or Ticket campaign was not held in New Jersey last year due to concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic. During the most recent campaign in 2019, which ran from April 1 through April 21, 2019, 341 police agencies – or 70 percent of all agencies statewide – participated in the enforcement effort. In addition to issuing a total 14,548 seat belt citations, those agencies wrote 5,670 speeding citations, and made 858 impaired driving arrests.

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