Click It or Ticket is a high-publicity law enforcement effort that gives people more of a reason to buckle up – the increased threat of a traffic ticket. Most people buckle up for safety. But for some people, it is the threat of the ticket that spurs them to put on a safety belt. In Click It or Ticket programs, law enforcement agencies are asked to mobilize to focus on safety belt violations and publicize the stepped-up effort through news media and advertising. It is the two-pronged approach that makes these campaigns powerful: Not only are tickets issued to unbelted motorists, but the surrounding publicity ensures that people know they are more likely to get a ticket.

Click It or Ticket campaigns and similar efforts have increased safety belt use in cities, states and even in an entire region of the country. In New Jersey, 406 police agencies participated in the May 2010 Click It or Ticket Enforcement Mobilization. As a result of the enforcement and public information efforts, New Jersey’s seat belt usage rate has risen to an all-time high of 93.73%.

This announcement has been brought to you by the New Jersey Traffic Attorneys at Garces & Grabler, P.C.

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The goal of the crackdown is to mobilize all police agencies in the state to raise public awareness about the dangers of impaired driving, through a combination of stepped up enforcement and media activities.

The New Jersey DWI attorneys at Garces & Grabler, P.C. will help you keep your license and your freedom. Contact an NJ DUI/DWI attorney.

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Division of Highway Traffic Safety Director Pam Fischer explained that, prior to the change, motorists could only be cited if property damage or injuries occurred as a result of failing to remove ice and snow from their vehicles. Drivers will now be required to make all reasonable efforts to remove accumulated snow and ice from all exposed surfaces prior to operation of the vehicle, she explained.

“Snow and ice left on a vehicle, in particular on the hood, windows and roof, can become a deadly projectile, creating a hazard for everyone on the road,” Fischer said. “The few moments it takes to clear ice and snow from your vehicle could prevent a crash or save a life.”

“For years we’ve seen evidence of the dangers of snow and ice on vehicles. Now, the law prohibits what common sense should have already dictated. And troopers will be enforcing that law this winter,” said Colonel Rick Fuentes, Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police.

Fines for violating the new law range from $25 to $75. No motor vehicle points will be assessed for this offense. If failure to remove ice and snow results in injury or property damage, motorists face fines ranging from $200 to $1000, while commercial motor vehicle drivers face fines ranging from $500 to $1,500, for each offense.

This message was brought to you by Garces & Grabler, P.C.

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Beginning August 20 and running through September 6, police officers will conduct saturation patrols and sobriety checkpoints, looking for motorists who may be driving while intoxicated.

“There’s simply no excuse to drink and drive,” Fischer stated. “The decision to get behind the wheel after drinking can change not just your own life, but the life of your family, your friends, and everyone who is on the road with you. Even one drink can impair your judgment and reaction time, creating a potentially deadly situation.”

Fischer noted that last year in New Jersey, 185 people were killed as a result of alcohol-related crashes. That number represents 31 percent of the 583 traffic fatalities reported in the state in 2009. In addition, 67 of those alcohol-related fatalities occurred during the summer travel season.

The Division of Highway Traffic Safety offers the following advice to ensure a safe summer travel season for those who choose to drink alcohol:

• Take mass transit, a taxi or ask a sober friend to drive you home.
• Spend the night rather than get behind the wheel.
• Report impaired drivers to law enforcement. In New Jersey, drivers may dial #77 to report a drunk or aggressive driver.
• Always buckle up, every ride, regardless of your seating position in the vehicle. It’s your best defense against an impaired driver.
• If you’re intoxicated and traveling on foot, the safest way to get home is to take a cab or have a sober friend or family member drive or escort you to your doorstep.

The Law Offices of Garces & Grabler would like to wish everyone a happy and safe holiday weekend.

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Known as “Cops in Crosswalks,” the federally funded initiative places undercover police officers, posing as pedestrians, in marked crosswalks. Motorists who fail to stop for the undercover officers are stopped and issued warnings or tickets by uniformed officers a short distance away. The Division will be providing federal grants of $8,000 each to 13 police departments for the program, which will run from mid-July to mid-September. In addition, towns receiving year-long pedestrian safety grants from the Division will also participate in this initiative, which has been run in towns throughout the state for the past two years.

Fischer noted that the initiative will also help to reinforce New Jersey’s pedestrian safety law, which was amended on April 1, to require motorists to stop and stay stopped for pedestrians in marked crosswalks. Prior to the change, motorists were required to yield.

“By changing the language in the state’s 50-year old pedestrian statute from yield to stop, motorists now know that when they approach a pedestrian in a marked crosswalk, they must stop and remain stopped to allow that pedestrian to cross safely,” Fischer stated. “The law also makes it unlawful for a vehicle to overtake or pass another vehicle that is stopped to allow a pedestrian to cross. It also infers that a motorist is at fault when there is a conflict between a vehicle and a pedestrian in a crosswalk.”

Pedestrians must also do their part under the amended law. “It’s a pedestrian’s responsibility to take due care when crossing the street,” she said. “That means that a pedestrian should never suddenly leave a curb or other place of safety and walk or run into the roadway, where it is impossible for a motorist to stop. Pedestrians must also obey all traffic signs and signals, including ‘walk/don’t walk.’ If a pedestrian does enter the roadway at any point other than within a marked crosswalk or at an unmarked crosswalk at an intersection, he or she must yield the right of way to all motor vehicles.”

Motorists violating the law face a $200 fine, plus court costs, and 2 points on their license. They can also be subject to 15 days of community service and insurance surcharges. Pedestrians failing to comply with the law face a $54 fine, plus court costs.

The towns and townships participating in the Cops in Crosswalks program are:

Linwood, Northfield, Burlington City, Medford Twp, Cherry Hill, Collingswood, Vineland, Monroe Twp, New Brunswick, Piscataway, Red Bank.

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Cops in Shops is a program designed by the Century Council, a national not-for-profit organization funded by distillers. Under the program, local police officers work undercover in participating retail locations. Law enforcement officials either pose as store employees or are positioned outside the establishment to apprehend adults who attempt to purchase alcohol for underage drinkers.

Last summer, 211 people were arrested through the Cops in Shops summer program. This summer, 31 Shore police departments are participating in the Cops in Shops program, with approximately $61,000 in funding provided by the Division of Highway Traffic Safety.

In addition, 27 police departments, as well as the Gloucester County Prosecutors’ Office, are running year-round Cops in Shops programs and/or Undercover Operations beginning this summer, using funding provided by the federal Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

Penalties for underage drinking include stiff fines and the loss of a driver’s license for six months.

If you have been affected by a lapse of judgment and need an attorney, contact the attorneys at Garces & Grabler for an experienced defense attorney in New Jersey. Seven convenient law offices: Trenton, New Brunswick, Newark, Elizabeth, Perth Amboy, Freehold, Plainfield.

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