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Crime & Safety

Nassau Cops Taking Part in High-Profile Safety Campaigns

The Nassau County Police Department is participating in two very safety campaigns.

The Department is implementing two important safety campaigns for the duration of the month.

The first, called “Buckle Up New York, Click It or Ticket.”  will have Nassau County Police participating in a state-wide program to ensure that occupants of motor vehicles use appropriate seat constraints.

State law requires that all front seat occupants regardless of their age, all rear seat passengers under the age of 16, and all children under 4 must be in a federally approved child safety seat and children 4-7 years old must be properly restrained in an appropriate restraint system that meets the child’s height and weight recommendations. Drivers are responsible for all front seat passengers under 16 years old.

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This initiative will consist of high visibility enforcement, targeting the occupant restraint non-compliance. A zero policy for violations will apply, according to state officials. The goal of the campaign is to increase safety belt and child seat usage in an effort to reduce serious injuries and fatalities resulting from motor vehicle accidents and seat belts not being used.

Nassau police will also take part in “Operation Safe Stop," on March 30. The program attempts to educate motorists that passing a stopped school bus is both dangerous and illegal. A state grant will supplement additional patrols throughout all of Nassau County’s eight precincts during this enforcement initiative.

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The state estimates that over the past four years, 35 children were hit by motorists passing a stopped school bus in New York. Every day nearly 50,000 motor vehicles illegally pass a stopped school bus.  The law states that drivers must stop when the school bus' red lights are flashing, including divided, multilane highways and school grounds. Penalties for illegally passing a stopped bus range from $250 - $1,000 in fines, points on your driver’s license and in some cases imprisonment.

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