MEDIA ADVISORY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MAY 19, 2003
8:00 A.M.
Alexandria Police Target Seatbelt Violators
Chief of Police Charles E. Samarra wants to inform citizens that the Alexandria Police Department will soon begin to crackdown on drivers who fail to use their seatbelts. This new initiative called “Click it or Ticket” is a national program joined by more than 12,000 law enforcement agencies across the country designed to increase law enforcement and educational awareness to ensure the safety of motorists.
Patrol officers will give special attention to our roadways starting on Monday, May 19 through the Memorial Day holiday. This two-week enforcement wave will be supported by more than $20 million in state and national advertising designed to reach those young drivers who fail to use their seat belts. Teens and young adults are killed at far higher rates in crashes because they are caught in a lethal intersection of inexperience, risk taking and low safety belt use. These tragedies are predictable and therefore preventable. According to the National Highway and Traffic Administration (NHTSA), 5,341 teens, ages 16-20, died and thousands more were injured in traffic crashes in 2001.
“ A proven way to get significant increases in belt use and ultimately save lives, is through high visibility enforcement, including targeted and intense advertising to alert people to the enforcement efforts among law enforcement” said Chief of Police Charles E. Samarra. The penalty is $25 for failure to wear a seat belt but, costs could go higher with other traffic related offenses.
For further details, please contact the Public Information Office.
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