Seat Belt Crackdown Supported by Nearly $25 Million in Targeted Advertising to Reach Those Least Likely to Buckle Up 5/14/2003
From: John Chambers, 202-338-8700, for the Air Bag and Seat Belt Safety Campaign WASHINGTON, May 14 -- Teens and young adults can expect to see or hear a stern warning to buckle up their seat belts over the next two weeks. The largest nationwide seat belt crackdown in U.S. history will be supported by nearly $25 million in national and state television and radio advertising to reach those least likely to buckle up and most likely to die in a traffic crash. The national 'Click It Or Ticket Mobilization,' beginning May 19 and continuing through June 1, is based on a public health model proven to increase belt use. The national television ads can be seen on several major networks and feature people driving in several regions of the country without their seat belts on. In all cases, they receive a ticket, and then buckle up. Ads will also be run locally in 43 states. "The placement of the ads is targeted to reach those least likely to buckle up and most likely to die in a vehicle crash," said Chuck Hurley, executive director of the Air Bag & Seat Belt Safety Campaign, which pioneered national seat belt enforcement mobilizations beginning in 1997. "The ads reach young people who we traditionally can't reach effectively through the news media." The ads can be seen on such programs as Fear Factor, WWF Smackdown, American Idol, NBA Playoffs, NHL Conference Playoffs, Major League Baseball, and Saturday Night Live -- all programs that deliver large audiences of teens and young adults-especially men. Hundreds of thousands of officers from more than 12,000 law enforcement agencies in all fifty states, D.C., and Puerto Rico will participate in the unprecedented effort. Congress allocated the money for advertising after multi-state tests last year demonstrated Click It Or Ticket could produce significant increases in seat belt use. "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 seat belt use," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta. "These tragedies are predictable and therefore preventable, using proven techniques like high visibility enforcement mobilizations." Research shows that by-in-large young people for the most part do not respond to the threat of injury or death in a vehicle crash-they don't perceive that threat as real. But they do respond to the possibility of a ticket. During the Mobilization, law enforcement officers will intensify enforcement of seat belt and child passenger safety laws by setting up checkpoints or saturation patrols. Seat belt violators and drivers failing to restrain their child passengers will be ticketed. Teens and Young Adults Face the Greatest Risk on the Road -- In 2002, nearly 5,900 teens and young adults ages 16-20, died in traffic crashes last year and thousands more were injured. Two thirds of those killed were not buckled up. -- At 69 percent, safety belt use for teens and young adults ages 16-24 continues to lag behind the rest of population. -- The risk of crash involvement per mile driven among 16-19 year-olds is four times than that of older drivers. -- In 2001, the estimated economic impact of police reported crashes involving drivers ages 15-20 was $42 billion. ------ Editor's note: High resolution, publication-ready photo(s) supporting this story available for free editorial use at: http://www.wirepix.com/newsphotos/USN |