Officers participating in a stepped-up statewide enforcement effort issued 53 citations for seat belt violations between Oct.19 and 25. This brings the total number of seat belt citations issued in the campaign to date to 595.
The enforcement and awareness mobilization, which launched Aug. 1, is part of a four-month long safety initiative created after results from observational seat belt surveys conducted by the Office of Highway Safety in June revealed that the state’s 2009 statewide use rate declined from 91% last year to 88% this year. To date this year, 58% of drivers and passengers killed have not been buckled up.
In addition to the seat belt citations, officers also apprehended one wanted individual, cited 12 for speeding, four for child restraint violations and 37 for other traffic violations. Eight county and municipal police agencies, primarily located in Sussex and New Castle Counties, are conducting either traffic safety patrols and/or checkpoints looking for unbuckled drivers and passengers. Enforcement is occurring both day and night and will continue through the end of November, including the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.
Delaware law requires drivers and all passengers, including those in the back seat, to wear a seat belt. An officer can pull over a driver if he sees any person not wearing one. Delaware’s law also requires correct use of the seat belt, which means the shoulder belt must be worn over the shoulder and not under the arm. The ticket, which goes to the driver no matter who is unbuckled in the vehicle, is a $25 fine plus court administrative fees, which can eventually total more than $70.
