PennDOT District 6 says 13 municipal police departments across Bucks County and the Pennsylvania State Police will conduct seatbelt enforcement activities as part of a statewide “Click It or Ticket” mobilization, which runs from May 17 through June 6, and will include the Memorial holiday weekend.
The departments in Bucks County are:
- Bristol Township
- Buckingham Township
- Falls Township
- Hilltown Township
- Lower Southampton Township
- New Britain Township
- Northampton Township
- Penndel Borough
- Plumstead Township
- Richland Township
- Upper Southampton Township
- Warrington Township
- Warwick Township
They will focus on roadways with high unbelted crashes, injuries, and deaths by initiating a combination of enforcement and public awareness activities.
The enforcement, coupled with educational outreach efforts, aims to increase seatbelt use, and raise awareness of the state’s primary law stating all vehicle occupants under 18 years old must wear a seat belt. Drivers and front-seat passengers over 18 years old who are cited for another traffic violation will receive a second ticket if they’re unbuckled.
Wearing a seatbelt while driving or riding as a passenger is the best defense against injury or death in the event of a motor vehicle crash. A seatbelt increases the chances of surviving a crash by up to 60 percent. Wearing a seatbelt correctly in the front seat of a vehicle reduces the likelihood of a fatality by 45 percent. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), child seatbelt use drops by 40 percent when parents ride unbelted.
Seatbelts are the greatest protection against impaired, aggressive, and distracted drivers. Though airbags are another safety feature designed to work with seatbelts, they are not a replacement. Not wearing a seatbelt during a crash could cause an individual to be thrown into a rapidly deployed airbag, resulting in injury or death. Being buckled up helps keep everyone safe and secure inside the vehicle instead of being ejected, almost always deadly.
