Starting Monday, police departments in the Garden State are launching the "Click It or Ticket" campaign as part of a nationwide effort.
The state Division of Highway Traffic Safety awarded grants to 134 agencies to fund efforts including officers on the road, seat belt checkpoints and other enforcement initiatives.
"Seat belts have been proven to be one of the best ways to prevent death and serious injury in a crash. Yet statistics show that many people still don't buckle up," New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal said in a statement. "The Click It or Ticket enforcement campaign is aimed at educating the public on the importance of abiding by seat belt laws. It could literally save your life."
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, nearly half of the 22,215 passenger-vehicle occupants killed in crashes nationwide in 2019 were not wearing seat belts.
New Jersey has a $46 maximum penalty for a seat belt violation -- the departments will focus on nighttime violations.
The campaign runs through June 6.
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