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'No Empty Chair' Teen Driving Enforcement This Week

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Southampton Town Police will conduct special enforcement focused on teen driving safety this week.

Southampton Town Police will conduct special enforcement focused on teen driving safety this week.

Kitty Merrill on Apr 16, 2021

Southampton Town Police are participating this week in the No Empty Chair Initiative sponsored by Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Traffic Safety Committee.

The enforcement operation has a different target each weekday beginning on Monday, April 19, with a focus on speeding in school zones. Tuesday, March 20, will be about seat belts and child restraints, while Wednesday, April 21, it’s cellphones and texting. On Thursday, police will conduct Operation Safe Stop, and on Friday police will be on the lookout for underage drinking and kids driving while impaired.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, motor-vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens. The Institute for Traffic Safety Management and Research reported that between 2012 and 2014, 11 to 13 percent of all fatal crashes in the state involved drivers 16 to 20.

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