Date: November
17, 2016
Re: Seat Belt Enforcement Campaign
Issued by: Det.
Sgt. Jeremiah P. Marron Jr.
For Immediate Release
Press Release
“Click It Or Ticket”
The national "Click
It or Ticket" enforcement wave will be taking place from November 21st through November 28th, 2016. The
Darien Police Department will be joining with hundreds of other law enforcement
agencies across the country in renewing a pledge to save lives by intensifying
efforts to enforce seatbelt laws among all motorists.
The current fine for adults who are not wearing a seatbelt
while traveling in a vehicle is $92. All front seat passengers are
required to wear seatbelts while traveling. Passengers over 18 years old
who are sitting in the rear seat of a vehicle are not required to wear a
seatbelt unless the operator is under 18 years old. All passengers under
18 years old are required to wear seatbelts, even passengers who are sitting in
the rear seat of a vehicle; the current
seatbelt fine for persons 16 years old and less than 18 years old is
$120. An operator transporting any passengers who are under 16 years
old is responsible for ensuring that their passengers are properly seat
belted, and it would be the operator who is cited for any of these
seatbelt violations. Connecticut State law also requires that children
under 1 year old and less than 20lbs. must be secured in a rear facing child
safety seat, this violation carries a $92 fine. Passengers over 1
year old, less than 7 years old, and weigh less than 60lbs are
required to be secured in a child safety seat or booster seat; this violation
carries a $92 fine. Once a child is over
7 years old and weighs more 60lbs, that child could be seat belted in a regular
passenger seat.
The #1 cause of death for children and teens in the
United States is traffic crashes! Statistics show an average of 1
fatality every 14 minutes and 1 injury every 13 seconds due to car crashes
in this country. Statistics also show that vehicle passengers have
a 77% chance of surviving a fatal car crash if they are properly seat
belted. The current seatbelt usage rate in the State of Connecticut
is 88%; the national average for seatbelt usage is 84%.
Buckle Up, the life that is saved may be yours, or your
child's!