Washington -U.S. Senators Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ)and Robert Menendez (D-NJ) today announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has awarded nearly $350,000 to the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safetyto implement and enforce seatbelt and child seat safety programs. The funding will be distributed to programsdesigned to reduce highway deaths and injuries fromriding unrestrained or improperly restrained in motor vehicles.
"Seatbelts save thousands of lives every year and cut in half the risk of serious injury during an accident. We must continue efforts to ensure people are buckled up and their kids are in car seats while traveling on New Jersey's roadways. This federal grant helps advance proven programs that keep families safe on the road and prevent tragic accidents,"said Senator Lautenberg,a member the Senate CommerceCommittee,which has jurisdiction over the highway safety program.
"Nothing is more devastating than the loss of a loved one, especially when that loss could have been prevented,"said Senator Menendez."Seatbelts and child car seats are a commonsense and no-excuse tool for protecting ourselves and our families. With this money the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety will be able to enforce seatbelt safety programs more forcefully, making our roads less dangerous. Everyone should be buckling up, period."
Last month, the Senate approvedthe surface transportation reauthorization bill with overwhelming bipartisan support. The bill includesmore than $40million per year for occupant protection grants to encourage seatbelt usage. So far, the House of Representatives has failed to take action on the Senate's bipartisan bill to increase safety, rebuild America's roads and bridges, modernizetransit systems, and create or save millions of jobs.
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