The New York State Police have requested all Village Court Judges to support the "Buckle Up New York Awareness Program."

And as a Village Court (Sea Cliff) judge and a longtime Massapequa Park resident, I would like to pass along information on the program to all of your readers in the hope that any of them who presently do not buckle up will do so.

Failure to wear a safety restraint is the number one killer in New York's highways, greater than excessive speed or alcohol. New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) accident report data indicates that in 1997, the last year of complete records, 485 unrestrained motorists were killed on New York's highways. This represents 30 percent of total fatalities for that year and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NASTA) estimates that three of every five victims could have survived had they buckled up.

In addition to the cost of life, the financial impact of not wearing safety belts is borne by all New Yorkers. Costs for inpatient care for unbelted crash victims is 50 percent greater than for belted victims and we, not the victims themselves, pay 85 percent of those costs in the form of higher insurance rates.

It is presently estimated that only 75 percent of New Yorkers buckle up and if only 10 percent more buckled up, the death rate would be cut by 148.

Please take those few extra seconds to Buckle Up. Give yourself, your friends and your family a full and beautiful life and be a survivor, not a victim.

Victor M. Regan