Mahwah May 26, 2010 THE VILLADOM TIMES IV • Page 11 Police enforce seat belt law by Frank J. McMahon The Mahwah Police Department has begun to crack down on unbuckled motorists and their passengers as part of the national “Click It or Ticket” campaign. The annual enforcement and education campaign, which is being held from May 24 through June 6, includes high visibility law enforcement seat belt checkpoints and saturation patrols, and local and national publicity designed to ensure that drivers and passengers recognize the life saving value of seat belts. Mahwah Police Captain Robert Sinnaeve explained that there will be additional patrols on township roads during the campaign crackdown period. “We are totally committed to supporting this very important traffic safety program,” Sinnaeve said. “We are a proud partner with the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety. By working together, we can make a difference and hopefully prevent some of the needless deaths and injuries. It only takes a second to buckle up; there is no reason anyone should not be doing it.” Pam Fischer, director of New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety, pointed out that using a seat belt is the simplest way for motorists and passengers to protect themselves on the road. “Motor vehicle occupants who buckleup are between 45 and 75 percent less likely to face life threatening injuries in a car crash,” she said. Last year, the front seat belt use rate in New Jersey rose for the 13th consecutive year to 92.67 percent, Fischer said. She stressed that law enforcement and safety officials will not rest until the state achieves a 100 percent compliance rate. “New Jersey has one of the strongest front seat belt usage rates in the nation, but our work isn’t done. To meet our goal, we must continue to focus on enforcement and public outreach efforts to educate motorists and their passengers about the critical importance of buckling up, every ride,” Fischer continued. She added that, for the first time this year, the campaign will focus on rear seat passengers. Adult back seat belt use now stands at 32 percent, but new legislation requiring adult rear seat passengers to buckle up became law on Jan. 18. That legislation requires all occupants to buckle up regardless of their seating position in a vehicle. As a secondary offense, the law allows police to issue summonses to unbuckled back seat occupants 18 years of age and older when the vehicle they are riding in is stopped for another violation. The law makes the driver responsible for proper seat belt use by all occupants who are under the age of 18. Children up to age eight or 80 pounds must ride in a safety or booster seat in the rear seat of the vehicle. If there is no rear seat, the child must sit in the front seat secured by a child safety seat or booster seat. Children under age eight who weigh more than 80 pounds must wear a seat belt anywhere in the vehicle. Passengers who are eight to 18, regardless of weight, must wear a seat belt anywhere inside a vehicle. Failure to comply with New Jersey’s seat belt law carries a fine of $25 plus court costs and fees. During the 2009 “Click It or Ticket” campaign, 443 police agencies participated in the two-week initiative. As a result of the effort, law enforcement officers issued 41,442 seat belt citations, 6,833 speeding summonses, and made 866 drunk driving arrests. Nationally, seat belts prevented 135,000 fatalities and 3.8 million injuries between the years 1975 to 2000, saving $585 billion in medical and other costs, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. That agency points out that seat belt use is particularly critical for teens and young adults because motor vehicle crashes are cited as the leading cause of death for people age 15 to 34 in the United States. NWBP Champs The Mahwah seventh grade girls Thunderbird basketball team completed a successful season by winning the Northwest Bergen/Passaic Girls Basketball League championship. This season the team also won the Wayne PAL Thanksgiving Tournament and the Oakland XMAS Holiday Tournament, finishing the season undefeated with an overall record of 290. The team players are: Alyssa Baldi, Jenna Braun, Deanna Burbridge, Julia DeCandia, Else DiGiacopo, Alexandra Kornberger, Alexandra Mesropyan, Stephanie Olear, Kaylie Shaffer, and Taylor Ziman. The head coach is Allan Baldi and his assistants are Berkan Mesropyan, Jon Ziman, and Tom Durso. One Location Only Wyckoff Vacuum Wyckoff Central Vacuum NOT affiliated with the and Attention Grand Opening Weekend! 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