The Pequea Township Police Department will  be partnering with state and local law enforcement agencies to participate in the national “Click It or Ticket” Seat Belt Enforcement initiative, which begins November 15 and runs through November 28, 2021.
 

The goal is to reduce unbelted injuries and deaths on Pennsylvania highways through coordinated enforcement using Traffic Enforcement Zones and Roving Patrols. Traffic Enforcement Zones combine stationary enforcement and checkpoint tactics on roadways with high numbers of unbuckled crashes. Citations will be issued to motorists who are caught unbuckled or transporting unrestrained children.

According to PennDOT data there were 11,275 unrestrained crashes that resulted in 385 fatalities in 2020.

Motorists are reminded that Pennsylvania’s primary seat-belt law requires drivers and passengers under 18 years old to buckle up, and children under the age of 4 must be properly restrained in an approved child safety seat.

Children ages 4 to 8 must be restrained in an appropriate booster seat. A law that went into effect August 2016 requires a child under 2 years of age be securely fastened in a rear-facing child passenger restraint system, which is to be used until the child outgrows the maximum weight and limits designated by the manufacturer. In addition, children ages 8 to 18 must be wearing a seat belt when riding anywhere in the vehicle.

Also, drivers and front-seat passengers 18 years-old or older are required to buckle up. If motorists are stopped for a traffic violation and are not wearing their seat belt, they can receive a second ticket and second fine.

The effort is conducted utilizing Police Traffic Service grant funds distributed by PennDOT, provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

For more information on seat belt safety, visit PennDOT.gov/Safety.