The Pennsauken Police Department is joining law enforcement agencies in New Jersey and nationwide to keep people safe on our nation’s roads and highways.

From May 22 to June 4, Pennsauken Police will be participating in the annual “Click It or Ticket” campaign, which incorporates zero-tolerance enforcement of safety belt laws with paid advertising and the support of government agencies, local coalitions and school officials to increase safety belt use and defend against one of the greatest threats to us all – serious injury or death in traffic crashes.

“We’ll be stepping up enforcement to crack down on motorists not wearing their seat belts,” says Sgt. Chris Sulzbach of the Pennsauken Police Department. “New Jersey’s seat belt law requires all motor vehicle passengers in the front seats and back seats to buckle up. Wearing a seat belt is the simplest way to protect yourself in a car crash and increases your chance of survival by as much as 75 percent.”

“Click It or Ticket” is a high-publicity law enforcement effort that gives people more of a reason to buckle up – the increased threat of a traffic ticket. Most people buckle up for safety. But for some people, it is the threat of the ticket that spurs them to put on a safety belt. In “Click It or Ticket” programs, law enforcement agencies are asked to mobilize to focus on safety belt violations and publicize the stepped-up effort through news media and advertising. It is the two-pronged approach that makes these campaigns powerful: Not only are tickets issued to unbelted motorists, but the surrounding publicity ensures that people know they are more likely to get a ticket.

“Click It or Ticket” campaigns and similar efforts have increased safety belt use in cities, states and even in an entire region of the country. In New Jersey, 387 police agencies participated in the May 2016 “Click It or Ticket” Enforcement Mobilization. New Jersey’s seat belt usage rate currently stands at 93.35 percent, up from 91.36 percent in 2015 and the highest usage rate since the 94.51 percent that was recorded in 2011.

For more information on traffic safety, visit http://www.nj.gov/oag/hts/index.html.