From the Baltimore Sun-

""Not wearing your seat belt -an unwise habit in Howard County any time of the year, but especially during April and May, when the county participates in the annual Chief's Challenge seat-belt crackdown.

Howard County officers issued 2,326 tickets between April 5 and Tuesday to drivers who weren't buckled up - roughly one for every 115 county residents, or 83 tickets a day. By the end of the statewide effort, Howard County police likely will issue more than 5,000 of them, or about one for every 50 residents.

The department's seat-belt blitz is so aggressive that the county pays officers overtime to spend a few hours each week finding people not wearing them.

Police spokeswoman Jennifer Reidy said that making a few people unhappy is worth it.

"The program is not about how many seat-belt tickets we write, but about how many lives we save," Reidy said. "The majority of Howard County residents understand that."

A seat-belt violation is $25. Parents are fined $48 for not putting children younger than 6 who weigh less than 40 pounds in car seats, and $48 for a front-seat passenger younger than 16 not wearing a seat belt.""

Does it amaze anyone else how public officials try to camouflage this type of money-grab with "saving lives"? Brought to you by the State that also gives us the Red-Light Camera, Speed Camera and now Aggressive Driver Imaging.

CaribbeanSoul

much as i detest overzealousnis by law enforcement, any parent who allows a child unstrapped in a moving vehicle, should be citted and fined more then the fine for parkling illegaly in a handicapped zone.

in case of a collision or sudden stop, the child becomes a projectile moving at the speed the car was moving before it stopped.

other then that the police spokeswoman is full of crap, they are looking for money.

again, i find myself in total agreement with rick's words. spooky, ain't it?

Sounds like Maryland needs to actively enforce their seatbelt laws the remaining 11 months out of the year..

As to the money, if it's setup like Texas, the arresting agency only recieves around 5-7% of the fine.The remaining funds go into the State coffers with a large marjority being directed to the dept. of education and TXDOT..

Oh, and only $25 a pop? That's kinda like NYs $2 jaywalking ticket...No seatbelt in TX is $200...And if a child under 16 is riding without a seatbelt, mom/dad may very well end up in jail..

Rick- I am not debating the fact that parents should belt their children...in fact most children should be in booster seats much longer than they are. My beef is with bureaucrats who hide their cash-lust behind the facade of genuine care for the well-being of kids and the elderly. Of course, government by its very nature, is ever-expanding and something needs to fuel the engine.

CaribbeanSoul

i agree with you completely. i mentioned the spokesperson was full of dodo.

Atlanta is going thru their annual " Click it, or Ticket" campaign . . .