Fall 2011 Smart, Safe & Sober Newsletter

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Christiansburg Police Department Challenges Town to Buckle Up

On September 1, the Christiansburg Police Department launched the Christiansburg Seatbelt Challenge. The program challenged all drivers in town to buckle up and help Christiansburg increase its seatbelt usage rate to 95% during the month of September. The normal usage rate is 85%.

The Challenge focused on increased enforcement of seatbelt laws and high visibility of law enforcement officers in the community. Drivers pulled over in September who were not wearing a seatbelt got a ticket. But the Challenge wasn’t just about giving tickets; officers also participated in a variety of programs that helped to increase awareness about the importance of wearing a seatbelt. They included:

• Safety Seat Check
  September 10th from 12:00-3:00 p.m. in the Christiansburg Walmart parking lot
  A study by the Virginia Department of Transportation found that approximately 80% of child safety seats were incorrectly installed. Specially-trained police officers inspected child safety seats to ensure they were properly installed in vehicles and made any necessary corrections. This event was FREE and open to the public.

• Buckle Up for Starbucks
  September 16th from 2:00-6:00 p.m. at Starbucks, 2475 N. Franklin St.
  Officers handed out FREE coffee at Starbucks and reminded citizens to buckle up.

• Parent/Teen Driver Night
  September 20th at Christiansburg High School
  This event was limited to CHS students and parents and covered important issues related to teen driver safety. The event is sponsored by Shelor Motor Mile.

Additional programs at Christiansburg High School were also planned and included:

• “Don’t Be a Dum-Dum; Buckle Up,” where students seen wearing seatbelts were given a card with Dum-Dum sucker and a $1 coin attached. The card had the message “Only a dumb-dumb would not buckle up." The event was sponsored by Horne Funeral Home, Kroger, StellarOne, and MemberOne Federal Credit Union. The YOVASO Club of CHS assisted in the event.

• “Buckle Up for Chick-fil-A,” where students seen wearing seatbelts were given coupons for free food from Chick-fil-A. Coupons were handed out by police officers and the ‘Eat Mor Chikin’ Cow. The event was sponsored by Chick-fil-A.

The department also reached out to local print media and arranged for radio public service announcements in order to promote the program. Additionally, they created a banner that said “Take the Christiansburg Seatbelt Challenge” that was displayed in the center of town during non-event days (although most every day had some enforcement activity), and then displayed in locations when and where there was a special event.

For the duration of the program, patrol officers were given a directive that no warnings were to be given for occupant protection violations. Pre- and post- seatbelt surveys were planned to monitor the results as well as compare statistical crash information from the same period in 2010.

The Christiansburg Seatbelt Challenge was made possible through business donations and a grant from the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. It marks the first time the Christiansburg Police Department has created a multi-faceted program intended to jump-start results in such a short period of time. The Challenge was a way to garner community buy-in that simultaneously helps keep citizens safe while the Police Department meets their seatbelt usage goal.

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