Accident News

New Jersey Seat Belt Use Poised to Break Record as Pre-‘Click It or Ticket’ Survey Shows Increased Compliance

Trenton - More New Jersey Drivers than ever are buckling their seat belts, according to a new independent survey of seat belt used conducted by the New Jersey Institute of Technology for the Division of Highway Traffic Safety.

“The upward trend has New Jersey poised to set a new record in seat belt use,” Division Director Roberto Rodriguez said. Seat belt use has increased in New Jersey for nine consecutive years.

The NJIT survey was released in advanced of the annual ‘Click It or Ticket’ mobilization, which will run this year from Monday, May 22nd to June 4th.

This year’s NJIT “pre-mobilization’‘ survey shows a preliminary usage rate of 84.25 percent, which is nearly six percentage points higher than a year ago when a similar pre-mobilization survey was taken. Following last year’s campaign, seat belt use registered at 86 percent, a four percentage point hike from 2004.

“We have not seen these kinds of pre-mobilization numbers before a “Click It or Ticket campaign” said Division Director Rodriguez. “We are positioned to see seat belt compliance reach record levels in New Jersey. That can lead to reduced crash-related fatalities and serious injuries on our roadways. ‘Click It or Ticket is making a difference.”

Following the ‘Click It or Ticket’ mobilization, NJIT will conduct another survey to gauge the effectiveness of the campaign. Historically, seat belt use increases several percentage points following the mobilization. Last year, use increased by almost eight percentage points.

Director Rodriguez said high percentages open the door to increased federal funding for future campaigns. He said New Jersey has repeatedly demonstrated that it has the structure in place to make the seat belt initiative work. It is done through public education and statewide participation by law enforcement agencies. The Division awarded $4,000 grants to 156 police agencies this year to cover over-time costs of high-visibility seatbelt checkpoints.

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	Did You Know?
	Blood Alcohol levels of 1.0 in a crash can be a criminal charge. State laws in 31 states make it a criminal offense to operate a motor vehicle at a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.10 g/dl. Seventeen states and the District of Columbia have adopted 0.08 g/dl. Two states and Puerto Rico do not have illegal per se BAC levels.