Buckle up. It keeps you safe, and also keeps your out of legal trouble
SANATOGA PA – Teenage drivers and vehicle passengers at Pottsgrove High School who fail to buckle up and wear seat belts are going to get a good talking to – and later may even be ticketed – by officers of the Lower Pottsgrove Police Department, Acting Chief Michael Foltz told the township Board of Commissioners.
The department has won a $1,000 grant from the “Buckle-Up PA” program of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, Foltz said Monday (Feb. 6, 2012), and it intends to put that money to use beginning Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14. That’s when School Resource Officer Wil James, and Traffic Safety Officer Robert Diesinger will make a “teen seat belt mobilization” presentation at the high school. A second show will follow on March 4.
PennDOT has placed increasing importance on seat belt awareness and enforcement within the teen population, Foltz explained, in part because teens tend to pay less attention to the safety benefits of being belted in. They pay a high price for that inattention, too, in injuries and fatalities. Alerting them to the dangers, and the remedy, is the program’s first task.
It’s not the only one though.
Lower Pottsgrove expects to throw enforcement muscle behind its cautionary words. The program’s “second wave will be an enforcement detail,” Foltz told board members. Warnings, tickets, fines, and maybe worst, notifying parents, are among the tools the department might use to force teen drivers and riders that the law requires their safety and compliance.
PennDOT’s funds will cover the cost of the materials for the presentations, and any overtime incurred by officers involved in meeting the program’s goals, Foltz noted.
Related (to the Lower Pottsgrove Board of Commissioners’ Feb. 6 meeting):
- Buckle Up, Teens, Or Face Lower Pottsgrove’s Police
- Speed Limit, Stop Signs Topics Of Park Road Hearings
- Talk About Really Dirty Crime: Township Trash Thefts
- Settlement May Be Near In Rupert Road Bridge Lawsuit
Two reminders to teens.
Buckle up and don’t overload your vehicle.
Accidents in recent years resulting in teenage death and injuries when analyzed revealed two glaring measures that were not followed which could have saved much heartache. While alcohol and distractions of radios and telephones also played major factors the two above could have minimized some injuries and may have prevented deaths.
Buckle up!! Every passenger in a proper seat and buckled in.
Get there safely and don’t be tempted to overlook these simple measures when your driving and in charge. A poor decision can result in a lifetime of regret and sorrow for you, your family, and friends.