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Released: 5/21/2007 

DRPA Targets Seat Belt Violators In May And June

Click It or Ticket Aims to Increase State's Seat Belt Use Rate In an effort to remind drivers to buckle up before they enter the roadway, the Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA) will be participating in the two-week-long “Buckle up” South Jersey program. From May 21st - June 3rd DRPA police and South Jersey police departments will be sending the message Click It or Ticket in an effort to encourage drivers to wear their seatbelts on the road. The campaign, sponsored and funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, plans to ticket passengers and drivers who do not wear their state-mandated seat belts. This special enforcement period is part of the state's annual effort to increase seat belt use through a combination of heavy enforcement, advertising and public awareness campaigns. “The use of safety belts is one of the most effec¬tive means of reducing fatalities and serious injuries in traffic crashes,” said John J. Matheussen, Chief Executive Officer of DRPA and President of PATCO. “The intent of the Click It or Ticket campaign is simple - to save lives and prevent injuries.” According to the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety, currently about 90 percent of New Jersey residents wear seat belts. The state hopes to boost that number to 92 percent. Statewide, 773 people died in motor vehicle crashes in 2006, according to state figures. Between 1975 and 2000, seat belts prevented 135,000 fatalities and 3.8 million injuries nationwide, saving an estimated $585 billion in medical expenses, the NHTSA reports. The Delaware River Port Authority is a regional transportation and development agency. DRPA owns and operates the Benjamin Franklin, Walt Whitman, Commodore Barry and Betsy Ross bridges, PATCO, the Philadelphia Cruise Terminal at Pier 1 and the RiverLink Ferry.

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