‘Click it or ticket’ campaign nets over 160 seat belt violations

The results are in for the Riverhead Police Department’s completed two-week 2025 seat belt safety campaign.

As part of the nationwide safety initiative, Buckle Up New York, local police officers used safety checkpoints from May 19 to June 1 to enforce seat belt compliance, as well as issue tickets for other vehicle and traffic violations such as cellphone use, revoked or suspended licenses, expired inspections, unregistered vehicles and cracked windshields.

Four checkpoints were set up throughout town: one on Roanoke Avenue near First Street was for nighttime enforcement, while the other three were conducted during the day. They included checkpoints on Route 105 near Route 25, on the L.I. Expressway exit 73 entrance ramp, and again on Route 105 near Route 25, according to a news release from the police department.

The four checkpoints generated 291 summonses: 95 were issued for seat belt violations, seven for child restraint violations, 44 for cellphone violations and 132 listed as “other” vehicle and traffic violations, such as unlicensed operator, revoked or suspended licenses, uninspected and unregistered vehicles and cracked windshields. Additionally, in direct patrol enforcement, 11 more summonses were issued for seat belt violations and two for V&T violations.

The checkpoints and patrol enforcement resulted in 645 total summonses: 161 for seat belt violations, 13 for child restraint violations, 65 for cellphone violations and 393 for “other” vehicle and traffic violations.

Increasing drivers’ use of seat belts and child safety seats is the most effective way to reduce crash-related injuries and fatalities, according to the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee. Reported 2022 crash data showed that nearly 36% of front- and back-seat passengers killed on New York State roadways were unrestrained.