סיט בעלט טשעק פאוינטס אין אפסטיעט

Troop F State Police Commander Major John Melville has announced New York's latest zero tolerance seat belt enforcement blitz, which will unify more than 500 of New York's police agencies in a single, combined effort to save lives.

Beginning this Monday, May 22, and continuing through Sunday, June 4, troopers, deputies and local police across the Hudson Valley and the state will staff safety restraint checkpoints and patrols in the effort, which is part of the ongoing ''Click It or Ticket – Buckle Up New York'' campaign.

The Memorial Day holiday weekend is considered the unofficial opening of the summer travel season.

Last year during ''Buckle Up America Week,'' which included the Memorial Day holiday weekend, six fatal crashes in New York claimed six lives. Troopers during that period issued over 5,100 safety restraint citations including 142 for child seat violations.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, highway crashes killed over 31,600 motor vehicle passengers in 2004; 55 percent of those victims were not wearing their safety restraints. Crashes also kill more children between the ages of two and 14 than any other cause.