Police to step up seat-belt patrols on LI
From left, seniors Jakeele McDonald, 17, and Kevon Thompson, 18, race to buckle their seat belts during "The Battle of the Belts" contest in Deer Park High School's parking lot. The event, held during Global Youth Traffic Safety Month, aims to remind teens of the importance of buckling up in any seat of the car, and how easy and fast it can be. (May 9, 2013) Credit: Brittany Wait
Want to lessen your chance of being injured in a car crash -- and avoid getting a ticket?
Then buckle that seat belt and make sure your kids are safe, too.
From Monday through June 2, county and state police on Long Island will be joining law enforcement agencies across the country in cracking down on drivers who don't buckle up and properly restrain young passengers.
The Buckle Up New York campaign is being coordinated in conjunction with the governor's Traffic Safety Committee.
Suffolk police are promising "numerous checkpoints and saturation patrols" during the seat-belt crackdown.
Nassau police, along with 17 village and city police departments, will be enforcing seat-belt laws "around the clock," Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano said in a release.
State laws require:
Front-seat occupants age 8 or older to be buckled in, as well as backseat passengers 8 through 15.
Children younger than 4 to be restrained in a federally approved safety seat.
Children 4 to 7 to be restrained in an appropriate child-restraint system, which does not include a regular seat belt.
Tax hike in town's proposed budget ... Residents sue over industrial park plan ... Attacks ads targeting Suozzi paused ... Out East: McCall Wines
Tax hike in town's proposed budget ... Residents sue over industrial park plan ... Attacks ads targeting Suozzi paused ... Out East: McCall Wines
