FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 28, 2002
CONTACT: SID GAULDEN, 803-896-8755

COLUMBIA -- The South Carolina Department of Public today announced a new public service campaign reminding people that “Unbuckled is Unacceptable, Unbelievable, and Unlawful. ” The campaign uses public service announcements and billboards to emphasize the life-saving importance of buckling up. DPS also launched a “Thank You Ticket” campaign to recognize motorists who use seat belts and child safety seats.

“The South Carolina Department of Public Safety is committed to saving lives on our roads,” said DPS Director B. Boykin Rose. “We believe that a strong enforcement effort coupled with aggressive public education campaigns are the key to reducing the number of people killed and injured in crashes.”

The “Unbuckled” and “Thank You Ticket” campaigns, which run throughout February, are part of an ongoing highway safety education effort. In December DPS released a public service announcement showing a trooper notifying a family that they had lost someone in a traffic collision. The PSA was a sobering reminder of the emotional impact of South Carolina’s high traffic fatality rate. Last year traffic fatalities topped 1,000 for the fourth year in a row.

The new campaigns are designed to encourage continued seat belt use by those who already buckle up and promote seat belt use by those who don’t.

“We’ve all heard the excuses for not buckling up,” Rose said. “But it’s time for people to realize that unbuckled is unacceptable, unbelievable and unlawful. Seat belts are the most effective life-saving and injury-reducing devices in all types of motor vehicle crashes.”

Seat belt use could prevent 15,000 deaths and reduce more than 400,000 serious injuries each year. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among small children and adolescents. During the Thanksgiving 2001 enforcement effort, South Carolina law enforcement reported 21 traffic fatalities. Of those 21 fatalities, 62 percent of those killed were not wearing seat belts.

Law enforcement officers at participating agencies will issue "Thank You Tickets" to motorists who are observed wearing seat belts and using child restraint devices. Ticket recipients are encouraged to mail their tickets in to be entered in a drawing for cash prizes, up to $1,000.

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JB/10/2002

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