All nonessential Conway city offices, both sports centers, sanitation dept. will be closed Tuesday.
CPD, FCSO planning holiday seat belt ‘crackdown’
The Conway Police Department and Faulkner County Sheriff’s Office are planning operations to combat drunk driving and promote seat belt use in hopes of making this holiday season memorable for the right reasons, and not highway tragedies.
According to information provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, more than 25,000 motorists or their passengers died in 2008, and 389 were killed between 6 p.m. Nov. 26 to 6 a.m. Dec. 1, the majority of these dying in nighttime crashes.
NHTSA research has shown that when lap and shoulder belts are used properly, the risk of fatal injury to front-seat passenger car occupants is reduced by 45 percent and the risk of moderate to serious injury is reduced by 50 percent.
Thanks to grant funding from the Selective Traffic Enforcement Project (S.T.E.P.), CPD will be able to pay overtime during the holiday season to put more officers “out on the street and concentrating on DWI/DUI and seat belt use,” Chief of Police A.J. Gary said.
A law passed this year means that if one of these officers sees someone in a vehicle without a seat belt across their shoulder, they can be pulled over and ticketed.
“If you are planning to travel by car to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday with family and friends, make sure you and everyone riding with you buckles their seat belts,” Gary said in a news release. “Whether you’re traveling across town, or across the state, if you or anyone in your vehicle is unbelted, you run the risk of getting a citation from the police.”
Sgt. Ben Lacky of CPD said wearing a seat belt “costs you nothing and may save your life or protect you from a serious, possibly life-altering injury.”
“Not wearing a seat belt, especially during this Thanksgiving period, will definitely cost you a ticket at the very least, and maybe even your life,” Lackey said.
FCSO and the Arkansas State Police will be holding similar operations through the season.
For more information about highway safety during Thanksgiving, visit www.nhtsa.gov.
(Staff writer Joe Lamb can be reached at 505-1238 or by E-mail at joe.lamb@thecabin.net. Send us your news at www.thecabin.net/submit.)
That's just great....
It would be nice if CPD and FCSO were as ambitious about stopping residential burglary and armed robbery which seems to be at an epidemic level....
Loss of Respect
This demonstrates EXACTLY why many of us have lost respect for law enforcement, and lost trust in our state government. They can preach about safety all they want, but we all know the mandatory seat belt law is about money money money! By passing the mandatory law, Arkansas received $9.5 million in additional pay-off money from the Feds. Stimulus indeed. As a former police officer, I encourage current officers to not take part in this scam and let responsible, individual adults make their own decisions when it comes to seat belts. We should focus on the drunk drivers, reckless drivers and those who would harm others on the road.
My car insurance is supposed
My car insurance is supposed to be lower next year because of the law . If your fat or tall you cant wear one its just part of the new world order adjust or be shipped out it sucks.
elite spade
probable cause excuses
It's just another excuse to stop you. "Oh excuse me It looked like you weren't buckled."
Truth Be Told
Seat belt stops and drunk drivers
I thank the CPD and FCSO in advance of getting drunk drivers off the road. From 1st time offenders on, the fines should be heavy and loss of the vehicle to ensure they cannot drive in the near future. If those who do not want to wear seatbelts do not like the law...DON'T DRIVE without them. You are an idiot and should be taken off the roads as well.
saltwater
Strong Opinions
The week I turned fourteen, I lost my favorite uncle in an auto accident. In those days, very few vehicles had seat belts, but officials told us that he probably would have survived had he been wearing one. These many years later, I don't even sit in a parked car without my seatbelt hooked. My late mother, on the other hand, was severely crippled with rheumatoid arthritis and because she did not have full function of her hands, she was terrified of being trapped in a burning car, unable to work the latch mechanism on the restraint. She refused to wear a seat belt because of this. I believe people should wear seat belts, and I believe that they do save lives, but I would never denigrate someone who chooses not to. I may think that person is making an unwise choice, but it is not my place to judge him or her, especially without knowing the reasons behind that choice.
GravelGertie