Police Educate Students About New Seat Belt Law

Seatbelt safety was the topic of conversations with approximately 700 students when Lower Saucon Township Police recently visited , where officers set up an informational table in the cafeteria to distribute literature and answer questions.

According to a press release from the Lower Saucon Police Department, on Feb. 24 from 10am to 2pm officers informed students about a new Pennsylvania law that has made failure to use seatbelts by drivers under the age of 18 a primary offense.

In other words, an officer can stop a teen driver simply for a seatbelt violation, and then issue a citation for that violation if warranted.

Police did not explain how they plan to identify drivers under the age of 18 while on regular patrol, but said that on March 1, between noon and 6pm, officers conducted a "roving patrol" around the campus "to target seatbelt/moving violations."

They said that as a result of the enforcement effort, 22 contacts were made and 19 citations were issued, including two for seatbelts and 14 for speeding in a school zone.

The speed limit in the school zone is 15 miles per hour.

Police said that the Feb. 24 visit to the high school was made possible thanks to grant funding from the state.