traffic enforcement

CLICK IT OR TICKET!
Operation ABC Mobilization
Nov 18 - Dec 1, 2003
We will be participating in the National Operation ABC Mobilization during May 19 through June 1.
We are one of 12,000 agencies that participate in this event twice a year. This high-visibility seat
belt enforcement campaign is designed to increase seat belt use nationwide through increased
enforcement of occupant protection laws during the heavily traveled Thanksgiving weekend.
That is why teenagers and young adults are going to be surrounded with the strong message,
"Buckle up; If you won't buckle up to save your life, then buckle up to save yourself a ticket, " as the
Loudon Police join thousands of law enforcement agencies in a nationwide crackdown on seat belt
violators.
The two-week enforcement wave, which runs from Nov 18 through Dec 1, will be supported by
more than $20 million in targeted state and national advertising. It is based on proven public health
model to increase belt use called " high visibility enforcement."
In 2002 in New Hampshire, 109 vehicle occupants were killed in car crashes; 59 (or 54.1%) were
completely unrestrained. Tragically, nearly half of those people would have survived had they simply
buckled up. With your help, we can work on reducing the number of fatalities, both in New
Hampshire and throughout the country.
During the Operation ABC Mobilization, Loudon officers will sharply intensify
enforcement of seat belt and child passenger safety laws. During this crackdown, we will conduct
saturation patrols and ticket drivers who violate these traffic safety laws. We have a zero tolerance
regarding seat belt laws. As the title program states - CLICK IT OR TICKET!

The only exceptions:
--"...when meeting or passing a school bus which is traveling in the opposite direction on the other half of
the divided highway, or when upon a controlled access highway if a school bus is stopped in a loading
zone which is part of, or adjacent to, such a highway and pedestrians are not permitted to cross the
roadway." (RSA 265:54 III)

The flashing yellow lights and what they mean:
School bus amber (yellow) caution lights are activated at least 100 feet in advance of a planned stop to
load or unload students, as a warning to motorists from either direction. The flashing amber caution lights
give time for vehicles going in either direction to slow down and stop. Watch for waiting students who
may seek to cross the street BEFORE the red lights begin flashing.

You don't have to be seen by a law enforcement officer to be convicted of
passing a stopped school bus.
Testimony under oath by a school bus driver or other witness that a vehicle failed to stop and remain
stopped for a school bus shall be sufficient evidence to prove that the owner of the vehicle was driving
and has violated state law...unless such evidence is rebutted or contradicted and upheld by the court.
(The owner either identifies the driver or is held personally responsible.) (RSA 265:54 I-a)

The result can be costly. Hefty fines are awaiting you if convicted of passing a
school bus with red flashing lights:
--not less than $100 nor more than $250 for the first offense;
--not less than $200 nor more than $500 for a subsequent offense within a 12-month period. (RSA
265:54)

And...there's more: Convictions for passing stopped school busses will result in six demerit points on
your driving record, the equivalent of a single DWI conviction.

Air Bags Work - They Save Lives
They do their job best when everyone is buckled and kids are properly restrained in the back seat.
Air bags saved an estimated 1,043 lives in 1998 alone. However, the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration reports that tragically 99 children have been killed or injured by the force of a deploying
air bag. In many cases, the children were riding in the front seat either in a rear-facing child safety seat
or "out of position" - either unbuckled, or not wearing the shoulder portion of the safety belt.

An air bag in not a soft, billowy pillow. Rather, to work effectively, an air bag comes out of the
dashboard at rates of up to 200 miles per hour - faster than a blink of an eye. Drivers can entirely
eliminate any danger to children from a deploying air bag by placing kids properly restrained in the
back seat. With or without an air bag, the back seat is the safest place for children to ride.

As the number of motor vehicles equipped with air bags increases, the risk to kids riding in the front
seat will also increase. That is why we must all work to educate people now that air bags save lives
and work best when everyone is buckled and kids are in back, properly buckled up.

Air Bag & Seat Belt Safety Tips
Air bags and safety belts save lives. All Americans, and especially parents and care givers, need to
understand how to maximize the lifesaving capabilities of these safety devices and minimize the risks.

KIDS RIDE IN BACK
Infants should NEVER ride in the front seat of a vehicle with a passenger air bag. Children,
typically ages 12 and under, also should ride buckled up in the back seat.

CHILD SAFETY SEATS
Young children and infants always should ride in age- and size-appropriate child safety seats. The
safety seat should be held properly in place by the vehicle's safety belts and the child should be
correctly buckled in the child safety seat. A child who has outgrown a convertible child safety seat will
need to ride in a booster seat for the vehicle's safety belts to fit properly.

WEAR BOTH LAP AND SHOULDER BELTS
The shoulder strap should cross the collarbone, and the lap belt should fit low and tight. The shoulder
strap should never be slipped behind the back or under the arm - this is a dangerous habit, especially
in cars with air bags.

MOVE THE FRONT SEATS BACK
Driver and front passenger seats should be moved as far back as possible, particularly for shorter
statured people.

For more information, contact the Air Bag & Seat Belt Safety Campaign, National Safety Council, 1025 Conn.
Ave., NW, Suite 1200, Washington, DC 20036; (202) 625-2570 (tel.); (202) 822-1399 (fax); E-mail: airbag@nsc.org.

WHY WEAR A SAFETY BELT?

To understand the value of safety belts and child safety seat use, it's important to understand
some of the dynamics of a traffic crash. Every motor vehicle crash is actually comprised of
three collisions.

The first collision is known as the car's collision, which causes the car to buckle and bend as it
hits something and comes to an abrupt stop. This occurs in approximately one-tenth of a
second. The crushing of the front end absorbs some of the force of the crash and cushions the
rest of the car. As a result, the passenger compartment comes to a more gradual stop than
the front of the car.

The second collision occurs as the car's occupants hit some part of the vehicle. At the moment
of impact, unbelted occupants are still traveling at the vehicle's original speed. Just after the
vehicle comes to a complete stop, these unbelted occupants will slam into the steering wheel,
the windshield, or some other part of the vehicle's interior. This is the human collision.

Another form of human collision is the person-to-person impact. Many serious injuries are
caused by unbelted occupants colliding with each other. In a crash, occupants tend to move
toward the point of impact, not away from it. People in the front seat are often struck by
unbelted rear-seat passengers who have become high-speed projectiles.

Even after the occupant's body comes to a complete stop, the internal organs are still moving
forward. Suddenly, these organs hit other organs or the skeletal system. This third collision is
the internal collision and often causes serious or fatal injuries.

SO, WHY SAFETY BELTS?

During a crash, properly fastened safety belts distribute the forces of rapid deceleration over
larger and stronger parts of the person's body, such as the chest, hips and shoulders. The
safety belt stretches slightly to slow your body down and to increase its stopping distance.

The difference between the belted person's stopping distance and the unbelted person's
stopping distance is significant. It's often the difference between life and death.

I. No person shall drive a motor vehicle on any way while carrying as a passenger a person less than 18 years of
age unless such person is wearing a seat or safety belt which is properly adjusted and fastened. If the passenger is
less than 6 years of age and is less than 55 inches in height, the passenger shall be properly fastened and secured
by a child passenger restraint which is in accordance with the safety standards approved by the United States
Department of Transportation in 49 C.F.R. section 571.213. No person shall drive a motor vehicle on any way while
carrying as a passenger a person less than 18 years of age unless the motor vehicle was designed for and
equipped with the passenger restraints specified above. I-a. No person who is less than 18 years of age shall drive
a motor vehicle on any way unless such person is wearing a seat or safety belt which is properly adjusted and
fastened.
II. A person shall not be guilty of a violation of this section if the motor vehicle the person is driving is regularly used
to transport passengers for hire, is a school bus weighing more than 10,000 pounds or is a school bus weighing
less than 10,000 pounds that was manufactured without safety belts, or there is an individual education plan
statement contraindicating the use of restraints, is a vehicle manufactured before 1968, is a motorcycle as defined
in RSA 259:63, is an antique motor car or motorcycle as defined in RSA 259:4, or is being operated in a parade
authorized by law or ordinance, provided that the parade vehicle is traveling at a speed of no more than 10 miles
per hour.
III. Any driver who violates the provisions of this section shall be guilty of a violation, and shall be subject to the
following fines:
(a) $25 for a first offense.
(b) $50 for a second or subsequent offense.
IV. A violation of this section shall not be used as evidence of contributory negligence in any civil action.
V. A conviction for violating the provisions of this section shall not preclude prosecution of any other offense for
which violation of this section might constitute an element.
VI. [Repealed.]