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Asbury Park, Deal and Ocean Township are among the Jersey Shore police departments launching local Click It or Ticket enforcement on Monday.

A part of the national seat belt enforcement and education campaign, the police departments will be cracking down on unbuckled motorists and passengers, according to a written statements. The specialized enforcements, which runs from Monday through to June 3, includes high visibility seat belt checkpoints and increased patrols.

“Using a seat belt is the simplest way for a driver and his or her passengers to protect themselves when traveling,” New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety Director Gary Poedubicky said. “In 2016, it is estimated that more than 14,500 lives were saved nationally by the proper use of seat belts.”

Poedubicky said a key focus of this year’s campaign will be to promote seat belt usage by adults in all seating positions in a vehicle; both front and rear seats.

While the front seat belt usage rate in the state currently stands at 94.07 percent, adults riding in rear seats are buckling up at a significantly lower rate of 48 percent.

“For whatever reason there seems to be a disconnect with people feeling they don’t need to buckle up when riding as a passenger in rear seats, and this is a concern,” Poedubicky said.

Last year, 350 police agencies across the state participated in Click it or Ticket campaign, resulting in 17,792 seat belt citations, 6,363 speeding summonses, and 976 impaired driving arrests.

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