SAN ANGELO, TX – The San Angelo Police Department officially launched its year-long campaign, Buckle Down and Stay Strapped In, this afternoon to raise awareness about the importance of always wearing seat belts. A vast majority of motor vehicle crash fatalities could have been avoided if passengers and drivers had been utilizing their seat belts, said SAPD officials.
“As first responders, we know just how important the act of buckling down can be,” Chief Frank Carter said. “Time and time again we have seen how that simple decision can make the difference between life and death, or serious injury in a crash.”
Mayor Dwayne Morrison was also present at the ceremony, and proclaimed that December 12th – December 19th would be the City’s official Buckle Down & Stay Strapped In Week.
“It’s for the safety of our citizens, whether they like it or not; if they just buckle up, it could save their lives,” Morrison said.
SAPD was one of the six law enforcement agencies selected from across the country to participate in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's new pilot program to decrease the number of unbelted crashes.
The initiative will conduct monthly surveys that will provide the statistics for the people of San Angelo, as well as provide education and enforcement of the seat belt laws in the state.
SAPD’s ultimate goal is to increase the number of people wearing their seat belts and decrease the number of unnecessary injuries while ensuring that deaths are avoided in the event of a crash.
“Buckling up is an easy and really simple thing to do to protect your lives and the lives of your loved ones,” said Tracy Gonzalez, public information officer for SAPD. “Yet, so many forget to do it.”
Nationally speaking, in 2014, nearly half of the passengers who died in motor vehicle accidents were not wearing a seat belt. From 2013-2015, 9,863 crashes occurred in San Angelo, with 24 being fatal.
SAPD said the campaign will be a collaboration between the community and SAPD. The logo was designed by Live Design, and Print Shop helped create the logo that the campaign will be using for the next year.
San Angelo ISD, among other community partners, will help ensure that the public is educated and the state and local laws are obeyed by all. The majority of contributors will be providing assistance by conducting surveys every month in five different locations and providing educational information. SAPD will also be launching an aggressive social media campaign, as well as radio and television ads. They will be present at a variety of community events to inform the public about the need to buckle up.
Based on the data gathered from surveys given to the citizens of San Angelo during October 11-20, 2016, the numbers revealed that, in the city, the seat belt use rate was 93.1 percent.This places the city 2.65 percent above the state average, which currently sits at 90.7 percent. The national average is currently at 87 percent.
A total of 677 citizens were sampled regarding their safety habits in vehicles. The survey was divided between male and females, across various age ranges, and in terms of occupying the vehicle as drivers or front seat passengers.
Across the board, many of the categories scored from 88 percent to 98 percent, indicating most the citizens of the city understand the importance of wearing a seat belt. The group that scored the lowest was front seat passengers under the age of 16, standing at 66.7 percent. While this category only surveyed six individuals, it reinforces the need to educate everyone about seat belt safety.
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