Drivers get belted over Memorial Day

A weekly check of the Buffalo Grove Police Department’s reports yields an array of calls.  From mail boxes being knocked down to neighbors who don’t get along.

                Somewhere Joe Friday is rolling his eyes.

                However, what’s not on the reports are the proactive efforts the men and women in blue do.  In addition to a series of community workshops and crime prevention and bike rodeos, the department is more than a little aggressive in its efforts in enforcing those laws designed to keep motorists safe.

                We’re not talking CPD aggressive, we’re talk safety aggressive.

                As was the case over the Memorial Day weekend when the Buffalo Grove Police 

 participated in a statewide initiative to “click it or ticket”.  The effort was in conjunction with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) which coordinated a “Coast to Coast” seat belt enforcement effort.

                There’s good news and bad for drivers in the village of furry bison.  The bad news is that 50 folks got a paper reminder to start buckling up, a reminder that will cost them.  The good news is that according to Sergeant Anthony Goldstein, who coordinated BG’s effort, the rate of seatbelt compliance in the village is among the highest in the state.

                Goldstein says the goal of the effort is to keep “everyone safe” while traveling in their vehicles.  Enforcement was a combination of checkpoints and “saturation” enforcement, the latter being enforcement by officers while on patrol.

                In a press release distributed by the village, Goldstein noted that “Our law enforcement personnel are proud of the efforts over the Memorial Day period, as we believe we played a role in saving the lives of many Buffalo Grove citizens”

                Goldstein added that “Buckling up is one of the easiest ways to ensure you stay safe during a crash. Those who were not wearing seat belts were ticketed. Our hope is that they realize we do this to remind them that we care about their safety.”

                So what’s ahead?  More enforcement.  Goldstein said the department is planning another seat belt campaign over the July fourth weekend.

                It’s likely that the cops will approach that campaign just as they did the Memorial Day effort. “The ‘Coast to Coast’ effort helped our enforcement team understand the gravity of the situation,” Goldstein said. “As such, we approached seat belt violators with a zero-tolerance mentality.”

                Get the message? Click it or ticket.