Crime & Safety

Groton Police Will BOLO for Distracted and Un-Belted Drivers

And the fines are hefty so buckle up and stay off the phone, Groton.


Have an extra $92 lying around, Groton?


You’d better if you are not wearing your seat belt and a Groton Police officer spots you. Yes, that's the fine for not wearing a seat belt and it’s not chump change.  

Beginning Monday May 20 and continuing through June 2, Groton Town Police will actively be enforcing seat belt laws but, police said, will also be on the lookout for driver cell phone use without a hands-free device.  

Groton Police Lt. Jeffrey W. Scriber has made it plain, in addition to issuing tickets to motorists not wearing seat belts, “officers will also be focused on issuing citations to enforce distracted driving laws including texting while driving.”  

“As the busy summer season kicks off and Groton motorists take to the roads for the Memorial Day holiday, it’s important that everyone buckles up every time they go out both day and night – no exceptions,” Scriber said in a statement.  

Scriber said town police “will be increasing high visibility seat belt enforcement,” even though, seat belt use hit an all time high in 2012 when, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 86 percent of American drivers buckle-up.

According to federal traffic statistics, Scriber said, in 2011, more than 21,000 people were killed in car crashes and of those more than half were not wearing seat belts.   So Groton, as Scriber said, click it or $92 ticket. 

"We want everyone to have a safe summer," he said. 


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.