Cops step up seat belt enforcement

In an effort to increase child safety, police in both Nassau and Suffolk will participate in a state-sponsored seat-belt enforcement campaign for the next two weeks.

The idea, police said, is to reinforce the need to make sure all front-seat passengers wear seat belts as required by law, while all rear-seat passengers under age 15 also must wear seat belts or be secured in an approved child-safety seat.

The enforcement campaign will run Monday though June 6.

Police will conduct checkpoint stops and add patrols, all aimed at enforcement of other violations - including tailgating, speeding, red-light running, driving while under the influence and reckless driving.

Of primary emphasis will be seat-belt compliance.

Under state law, all children under age 4 must be restrained in an approved child safety seat or a child restraint system if the child weighs more than 40 pounds. All children ages 4 to 7 also must be restrained in an approved restraint system, while all front-seat passengers must wear a seat belt, police said. As must all rear-seat passengers - under age 16.

State Department of Motor Vehicle accident statistics for 2008, the last full year for which data is available, show why the proper restraint is important. Statistics show that in 2008, six children under age 5; 19 between the ages of 5 and 9; 12 between the ages of 10 and 13; and 44 between the ages of 14 and 17 were killed in auto accidents in New York. More than 20,000 others were injured.

How many children killed in accidents were secured in a proper child restraint system - in a car equipped with an air bag system? It's zero.

In fact, according to state statistics, more than 342,000 vehicle occupants who were properly secured using lap belts and harnesses walked away from crashes uninjured in 2008 - stressing the importance of being properly secured.