'Click It or Ticket' under way BY CHRISTINE VARNO Staff Writer WEST LONG BRANCH - The borough Police Department and law enforcement officials throughout New Jersey will be stepping up enforcement and education about the state's Primary Seat Belt and Child Restraint laws from May 21 through June 3. The enforcement and education campaign comes as part of the nationwide "Click It or Ticket" mobilization. The goal of the program is to increase the statewide safety belt usage rate to 92 percent. The current usage rate in New Jersey is at 90 percent and has steadily risen in the past 10 years, according to a press release from the West Long Branch Police Department. During the mobilization period from May 21 through June 3, the West Long Branch Police Department and other local police agencies will conduct a zero-tolerance safety belt enforcement campaign. Motorists who are not buckled up will be issued a summons. In addition, concerted efforts are going on locally and statewide to increase awareness about the importance and life-saving benefits of wearing a safety belt. "High visibility enforcement saves lives," said Pamela Fischer, director of the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety, in the release. "Our goal is to make sure that all motor vehicle occupants are properly restrained on every trip." Due to its past participation in the "Click It or Ticket" enforcement, the West Long Branch Police Department has received a $4,000 grant from the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety for overtime enforcement funding during the two-week campaign. The department's Traffic Safety Bureau has compiled surveys from previous years participating in the effort, which show that an average of 84 percent of occupants traveling through the borough were wearing seat belts or in a child safety seat, according to the release. In 2006, there were 773 motor fatalities in New Jersey, a large percentage of which involved persons not wearing a safety belt, according to the release, which states that safety-belt use saves lives and prevents injuries. The release additionally states that between 1975 and 2000, safety belts prevented 135,000 fatalities and 3.8 million injuries nationwide, saving $585 billion in medical and other costs. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for people ages 15 to 34 years in the country, and male teens continue to lag behind female teens in safety-belt use, according to the release. Recent studies indicate that 18.1 percent of high school males said they rarely or never wore a safety belt compared with 10.2 percent of high school females, according to the release. In the release, Regional Administrator of the National Highway Safety Administration Tom Louizou said, "We are committed to the 'Click It or Ticket" strategy. [Traffic] Tickets are a strong deterrent and the results are meaningful - fewer deaths on our roads."