Pottstown Police to participate in seat belt enforcement

POTTSTOWN » Pottstown Police Department is planning to partner in a national “Click It or Ticket” Seat Belt Enforcement initiative from May 14 through June 3.

The effort will focus largely on nighttime enforcement, between the hours of 9 p.m. and 4 a.m. 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 14,992 unrestrained crashes that resulted in 408 fatalities in 2016.

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 new law that went into effect August 2016 requires a child under 2 years of age be securely fastened in a rearfacing 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 frontseat passengers 18 yearsold 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 which includes 350 Pennsylvania municipal agencies supplements the national “Click It or Ticket” Mobilization which runs through June 3, 2018. As part of the initiative, PennDOT distributes federal enforcement funding from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

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