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Sheriff's Office to participate in seat belt and child safety seat enforcement effort

By Howard B. Owens

Press release:

The Sheriff’s Office will participate in the statewide seat belt enforcement mobilization, which will run from May 20 through June 1, which is designed to further improve highway safety. The initiative will urge motorists to buckle their safety belts or face receiving a ticket. The message is simple: “Click It or Ticket." The Buckle Up New York “Click It or Ticket” enforcement and education initiative sends a clear message that seat belts and child safety seats save lives. New York State has been a leader in passenger safety restraint since enacting the very first seat belt law in the country in 1984 by utilizing efforts that combines public education with increased police enforcement of New York’s seat belt law.

Under New York State law, safety restraint use is required for: all front seat occupants regardless of age; all rear seat passengers under 16 years of age; children under age 4 who must be restrained in a federally approved child safety seat. New York’s zero-tolerance policy for seat belt violations means that violators will receive a ticket if stopped for not using a safety restraint. The fine for such violations is up to $100 if a motorist is stopped for having a person less than 16 years old unrestrained, plus 3 points on their license.

According to state law, motorists can be stopped in New York by a police officer for not wearing their seat belts; another violation is not necessary to initiate the stop. Properly secured children will be a priority for the Sheriff’s Office during this enforcement effort. If there is any question as to the proper installation of your child’s safety seat, call the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office at 585-343-5000 to set up an appointment to have your safety seat and its installation inspected by a certified technician. Please help us make the highways of Genesee County the safest they can be.

Doug Yeomans

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. The seat belt law is an absurd law. No adult in America should be told they HAVE to wear a seat belt any more than they should be told they have to wear green on St Paddy's day.

People can't be forced NOT to smoke, and that's something that will certainly kill them. I can get on my motorcycle and ride it all I please. I have no idea how personal choices can ever be legislated into law. It's like telling people that they MUST buy a certain brand of coffee and they MUST drink it. Ridiculous!

May 14, 2013, 10:53pm Permalink
Kyle Couchman

Doug......shhhhhhh dont mention seatbelts and motorcycles in the same rant. The Govt is watching and might get ideas LOL. On this legistlating behavior I have a theory. I think the Govt has removed Darwinism from the equation in this country. Stupid people that do stupid things that would normally kill them are being legislated out of their personal choices therefore thinning out the voter pool and bringing down the collective intelligence of us all....giving lawmakers the excuse: "See no one has shown up to discuss this law nor have they contacted my office." It one of the conspiracies I believe actually exsists.

Just like DUI, if we just had normal people stay off the road for the 2 hours after bar closing we'd have alot less drunk drivers as they would be killing each other LOL.

May 15, 2013, 7:21am Permalink
Amanda Rumble

I agree with the right for an adult not to wear a seat belt if they choose, but I'm on board with the child enforcement. I see so many parents allowing kids in front seats, putting toddlers in vehicles without so much as a booster (when they should be in a 5-point harness car seat) and turning infants around to forward-face when rear-facing is 5 times safer for children under 2 according to the AAP.

I can't understand why a parent would not want to protect their child. It's one thing to risk your own life, but don't take any shortcuts when it comes to your kids.

Here's an article I recently had published on car seat safety

http://everydaylife.globalpost.com/baby-car-seats-safety-comparison-111…

May 15, 2013, 10:34am Permalink

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