Crime & Safety
Police Cracking Down on Unbuckled Motorists
Grant will fund overtime time for police to be on the lookout for drivers without seatbelts.
Police officers will actively look for unbuckled drivers in the coming weeks as part of the nationwide Click It or Ticket program.
Between May 20 and June 2 police will man checkpoints and step up patrols to make sure drivers and passengers are using their seat belts. Wayne police officers will look for commuters sitting in the back of vehicles. According to the state Division of Highway Traffic Safety (DHTS), only 36 percent of people sitting in rear seats use seat belts.
"Using a seat belt is the simplist way for a driver and his or her passengers to protect themselves when traveling," said Gary Poedubicky, acting director of the DHTS.
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A grant from the DHTS will be used to fund overtime pay the officers incur while on patrol as part of the program.
In 2012, the percentage of riders in the front seats using seat belts declined for the first time in 15 years to 88 percent. Police want to get the percentage up to 90.
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