SYRACUSE -- Police across New York State will be cracking down on drivers who are not wearing their seat belts after the annual “Click it or Ticket” campaign began Monday.
Law enforcement officials say they will also be on the lookout to make sure children and other passengers are properly buckled in.
State Police say they will join more than 600 law enforcement agencies across the state in the 14-day initiative to enforce the state's seatbelt law. Trooper patrols will enforce the law along the 641-mile Thruway system.
"The evidence is clear - seatbelts save lives," said Thruway Executive Director Michael R. Fleischer. "Twenty-four percent of all fatal accidents on the Thruway in 2009 involved motorists not wearing safety restraints."
Several area police agencies are taking part in the campaign. They are pushing for safety as the summer driving season begins.
In 2008, 680 people were killed in motor vehicle crashes in New York, and just 51 percent of them were buckled in.
State law requires that all front-seat occupants must be properly secured, regardless of age. It also applies to all rear-seat passengers under the age of 16. Drivers and front-seat passengers who are age 16 or older may be fined up to $50 for not buckling up. Drivers who fail to have children properly secured may be fined $100 and receive three points on their driver's license.
