FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 14, 2019

Lower Saucon Township Police Department, Safety Partners to Participate in 2019 Teen Seat Belt Enforcement

As part of National Teen Driver Safety Week, which runs from October 14 through October 26, the Lower Saucon Township Police Department, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), and Buckle Up PA announced seat belt enforcement activities as part of a statewide Teen Seat Belt Enforcement Mobilization to reduce teen injuries and fatalities. The enforcement activities will be conducted at Saucon Valley School District or on  other roadways in Lower Saucon Township. 

Wearing a seat belt is one of the simplest ways for teens to stay safe in a vehicle. Nationally, in 2017, there were 539 passengers killed in passenger vehicles driven by teen drivers, and more than half (60%) of those passengers who died were not buckled up at the time of the fatal crash. Even more troubling, when the teen driver was unbuckled, 87% of the passengers killed were also unbuckled.

The enforcement, coupled with educational outreach efforts, aims to increase teen seat belt use and raise awareness of the state’s primary law requiring all vehicle occupants under the age of 18 to wear a seat belt, regardless of seating position. Drivers and front-seat passengers over the age of 18 who are cited for another traffic violation will receive a second ticket if they’re unbuckled.

For more information on seat belt safety, visit PennDOT.gov/Safety