CARIBOU — The Caribou Police Department has been awarded a $2,000 grant from the Bureau of Highway Safety; the grant will fund extra patrols to help enforce seatbelt laws.
The extra patrols started on May 23 and will continue through June.
Caribou Police Chief Michael Gahagan expressed the importance a seatbelt can make in surviving a car crash and stressed that when it comes to enforcing seatbelt laws; “it’s all about safety,” he said.
The minimum fine for a first time seat-belt offence is $70.
Officers of the Caribou Police Department are also looking to address safety concerns that have arisen from drivers speeding through construction zones, specifically on the Van Buren Road and the Access Highway.
Workers with the Maine Department of Transportation have vocalized concerns that individuals are speeding through areas of construction where the speed limit is set at 25 miles per hour to ensure the workers’ safety.
Chief Gahagan advised that much of the department’s extra patrols would be taking place around construction areas to ensure safety of the workers and that fines are doubled in construction areas.
