HARRISBURG PA – A “Click It or Ticket” campaign intended to ensure compliance with Pennsylvania seat belt laws continues through June 4, the state Department of Transportation reminded drivers Thursday (May 25, 2023), ahead of the Memorial Day holiday.
The campaign, begun in mid-May, involves law enforcement agencies ranging from local municipal police departments to the state police. They are scheduled to work together to find and potentially issue citations to those who fail to wear seat belts for protection.
The effort is being underwritten by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Its funding, passed from federal to state to local governments, in part covers overtime costs for police departments to participate.
“Seat belts save lives,” PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll said. “If you know someone who doesn’t wear their seat belt, please ask them to consider changing their habit … A seat belt is your best protection in a crash.”
During last year’s four-day Memorial Day weekend, troopers investigated 775 crashes that resulted in three fatalities and 191 injuries. State Police also cited 1,080 individuals for not wearing seat belts, and issued 233 tickets for not securing children in safety seats.
In Pennsylvania, all drivers as well as passengers age 18 and older are required to wear a seat belt when behind the wheel or in the front passenger seat. Drivers age 18 or older who are pulled over by police for another violation will receive a second ticket if they or their front-seat passengers aren’t wearing seat belts, officials warned.
The state’s Primary Seat Belt Law requires drivers and passengers under 18 years of age to buckle up anywhere in the vehicle. Additionally, drivers younger than 18 may not operate a vehicle where the number of passengers exceed the number of available seat belts.
Under its Primary Child Passenger Safety Law, children younger than 4 must be properly restrained in an approved child safety seat anywhere in the vehicle. Additionally, children younger than 2 must be secured in a rear-facing car seat until they meet the maximum weight or height requirements set by the seat manufacturer. Children must ride in an appropriate booster seat until their eighth birthday.
Photo by Ed Zbarzhyvetsky on Deposit Photos, used under license
