The Chattanooga Police Department? is partnering with the Tennessee Highway Safety Office for its fifth annual Seatbelts Are for Everyone campaign. This statewide initiative is designed to increase seatbelt usage and child passenger safety restraint usage through the implementation of occupant-protection programs, public events and checkpoints across the state. The SAFE campaign is underway now and concludes Aug. 1.
“Chattanooga police officers respond to multiple fatal crashes each year where seat belt usage could have saved a life,” says Justin Kilgore, CPD traffic sergeant. “The CPD is focusing on enforcement of seatbelt laws because it could mean one more person goes home after a crash instead of the hospital or morgue.”
This will be the fifth year that the THSO has sponsored the SAFE campaign. Last year yielded 1,480 child restraint violations, 6,571 seat belt citations and 835 other seat belt enforcement activities.
“In 2016, Tennessee’s average seatbelt usage rate was 88.95 percent,” says Vic Donoho, THSO director. “Last year, the state’s usage rate decreased to 88.51 percent. Our goal this year is to achieve 100 percent seatbelt usage across Tennessee through the SAFE campaign and other occupant-protection initiatives.”
In Tennessee, a disproportionate percentage of unrestrained fatalities occur between the hours of 6 p.m. and 5:59 a.m. Historically, approximately 50 percent of Tennessee’s traffic fatalities are unbelted. That percentage increases to nearly 60 when nighttime crashes are examined. Therefore, participating agencies will focus special attention toward nighttime seatbelt enforcement during the current SAFE campaign.
Source: THSO