On Monday, the Maryland State Police College Park Barrack partnered with the Prince George’s County Police Department, Maryland Transportation Authority Police, Laurel Police Department, and Maryland Highway Safety Office to conduct a joint Distracted Driving and Occupant Protection Enforcement Initiative in Prince George’s County as part of the National kick off for Seat Belt awareness taking place that day.
The four-hour initiative conducted on U.S. Route 1 in Beltsville included 24 total law enforcement officers, and yielded 98 citations (14 seatbelt, 2 child restraint, 4 handheld device, 5 speed, and 57 other violations), 72 warnings and 33 Safety Equipment Repair Orders.
Maryland State Police also affected one DUI arrest as part of the initiative.
This effort was part of the The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) National Seat Belt Enforcement Mobilization kickoff. This year, the mobilization is running from May 23 through June 5.
Since wearing your seatbelt is the single most effective way to protect yourself in the event of a crash, this campaign is a top priority for the NHTSA. The Click It or Ticket campaign will be focused on safety education, strong laws and law enforcement participation to help increase seat belt usage on U.S. roadways.
The NHTSA is called on all states to participate in the Border to Border initiative on May 23, 2022.
During this nationwide, one-day, four-hour, national seat-belt awareness kickoff event, law enforcement agencies and highway safety offices throughout the U.S. coordinated high visibility enforcement operations. These efforts were aimed at encouraging motorists and passengers to buckle up in heavily traveled state border checkpoints.
