On May 23, 2011, Monday, the state of New York kicks off its annual “Click It or Ticket – Buckle Up New York” campaign. This is a 14-day enforcement of the statewide seatbelt initiative, looking for motorists who ignore the State seatbelt law.

The campaign starts on May 23 and ends on June 5.

The “Click It or Ticket – Buckle Up New York” is a statewide zero-tolerance enforcement effort coordinated by the State Police and the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee to increase safety belt use in the state.

New York State law requires all front-seat occupants to be properly secured, regardless of age. This also accounts for rear-seat passengers under the age of 16.

Fines for front-seat passengers caught not buckled-up may face fines of up to $50 and up, while drivers failing to have children properly secured may be fined up to $100 and receive up to three points on their driver’s license.

"Babies and toddlers are the most vulnerable. They can't buckle themselves in. They must rely on adults to do it for them. It's mandatory. The operators who fail to buckle up or properly secure their occupants will be issued a ticket," Troop T Commander Major Meyers said.

New York State Police Troop T is among the first few to enforce the law when New York became the first state to enact a mandatory seat belt law. They also state that buckling up takes only a few seconds, and that drivers and passengers should take that time to make sure that they are buckled up.

Labels: click it or ticket it, seatbelt laws, seatbelt safety, seatbelts

Each year, just in time for the influx of motorists traveling for Memorial Day Weekend more than 500 police agencies around New York State come to together to remind New York drivers to "Click It or Ticket". The annual, Buckle Up New York campaign begins Monday May, 24 reminding all New Yorkers to buckle up every time they get behind the wheel. The campaign runs for approximately two weeks and ends on Sunday, June 6. There will be safety restraint checkpoints set up throughout the state helping to enforce New York’s mandatory safety restraint law.

Safety restraint citations will be issued to those motorists caught without their seat belts on during these checkpoints. However, it’s important to remember that wearing a seat belt is not about avoiding a citation. Wearing a seat belt is about saving a life. This goal of this initiative is help put an end to the fatalities that could have been prevented if people would have taken the two or three seconds to fasten their seatbelts when they got into their vehicles.

In 1984, New York State became the first state to enact a mandatory safety restraint law. The law helped improve seat belt use statewide. Only 12 percent of people used their seat belts in 1984. By, 1998 74 percent of people used them. Although that may seem like a huge increase, most of it occurred in the 1980’s. By the late 1990’s the growth of seat belt use had become stagnate. Law enforcement officials needed a way to combat the number one cause of death on New York’s highways.

In May, 1999 just in time for the Memorial Day Holiday Weekend, New York State Police kicked off a campaign called “Buckle up New York” designed to increase the use of safety restraints to 85 percent by the end of the year 2000. Currently, New York has a seatbelt compliance rate of about 89 percent, which is above the national average of 83 percent. With the exception of New York City, the state boasts a compliance rate of over 90 percent.

During the 2009 Memorial Day Weekend Buckle up New York initiative 22,059 safety restraint citations were issued at over 137 checkpoints through the state. The New York State Police investigated 15 fatal crashes during the same time period. After the investigations, it was concluded that eight of those fatalities could have been avoided if they had been wearing their seatbelts.

Labels: driver education, driver safety, seatbelt laws, traffic safety

As New York State Police kick off their annual Memorial Day Buckle Up New York Campaign, it is probably a good time to review New York’s safety restraint laws. It would be pretty aggravating to be issued a citation at a check point without realizing you were doing anything wrong.

First and foremost, New York mandatory safety restraint law is classified as primary enforcement. This classification allows law enforcement officer to pull you over and issue a citation for failure to wear a seat belt. A ticket may also be issued to a driver who fails to adhere to New York’s child safety restraint guidelines.

New York State’s Safety Restraint Laws

• The driver and any passenger in the front-seat must wear a seat belt.


• Drivers and front-seated passengers over 16 can be fined up to $50 each for failure to wear a seat belt.


• Every occupant in a car driven by someone with a learner’s permit or junior license must wear a seat belt regardless of age or seating position.


• Each passenger under 16 must be properly restrained according to their age.


• It’s the driver’s responsibility to make sure all passengers under 16 obey the law. The driver can be fined $25-100 and receive three points on his or her license for each violation.


• Seat belt use in not required in taxis, livery vehicles, emergency vehicles, vehicles made prior to 1965 or by passengers on city buses.

New York State’s Child Safety Restraint Laws

• Children under four must be properly secured in a federally approved child safety seat. Note- A child under four that weight over 40 pounds may be restrained in a booster seat with a lap and shoulder belt.


• Children between the ages of four and eight must use a booster seat with a lap and shoulder belt or a child safety seat. Note – a child under the age of eight who is taller than 4’9’ or weighs more than 100 pounds is allowed to use a seat belt that has both a lap and a shoulder belt and does not need a booster seat or a child safety seat.


• For children who are 8, but are shorter than 4’9’ or weigh less than 100 pounds it is recommended that you continue to use a child safety restraint system.

New York State’s Seat Belts on School Buses Law

• According to New York State requirements all school buses manufactured after July 1, 1987 must be equipped with seat belts.


• Schools are required to make the seatbelts accessible every student.


• Children under 4 must be placed in properly installed federally-certified child safety seats.

New York State Seat Belt Law Medical Exemption

• If you have a physical condition that will not allow the proper use of a seat belt you could be except from the law with a doctor’s note.


• The note must be on a physician’s letterhead and you must carry when you’re behind the wheel and in the passenger seat.

Labels: new york driver safety, new york driving laws, seatbelt laws, seatbelts