Do you have plans to take a road trip this summer? Perhaps you will take in some of the local attractions, visit the beaches, or spend time with family and friends. No matter where you go or what you do, always remember to drive safely. The life you save may be your own.

What you need to know

Driving too fast, failing to yield the right of way to others, and driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs are common causes of crashes in the first state. These crashes are preventable. Did you know:

• To date, Delaware has seen a 22% increase in fatal crashes and traffic deaths are up 25% over 2013.
• Single car crashes and single motorcycle crashes account for nearly half of all fatal crashes in 2014.

What you can do

It is typical during the summer months to see an increase in motorists on the highways, and consequently, an increase in traffic crashes. At OHS, we feel that even one death on our roads is too many.   To stay safe and arrive alive, follow these simple tips every time you get behind the wheel:

• Check your speed. Plan your route in advance and be prepared to spend more time reaching your destination rather than speeding to get there faster.
• Obey intersection safety rules. Motorcycle, pedestrian, and bicycle traffic also increases during the summer. Traffic signals and stop signs are in place to maintain safe roadways for drivers, passengers and pedestrians sharing the road.
• Buckle up. All passengers in the vehicle should use seat belts to keep them safe in the event of a crash.
• If you are drinking, do not drive. Designate a non-drinking driver or plan for alternate transportation.

For more information visit www.ohs.delaware.gov. Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/DEHighwaySafe and Facebook www.facebook.com/ArriveAliveDE. And for updated information on checkpoints in your area, text Checkpoint to 99000.

Drive Safe. Arrive Alive DE.

Dover –  From May 12^th to 26th, officers from 36 State, County, and municipal law enforcement agencies issued a total of 1,035 citations to unbuckled motorists during the annual Click It or Ticket campaign.  The enforcement portion of the campaign involved traffic safety checkpoints and saturation patrols both day and night.

Officers working the 2 week Click It or Ticket campaign also issued 43 child restraint citations, 489 speeding citations, made 9 DUI arrests, issued 334 cell phone citations, apprehended 24 wanted persons, made 21 drug arrests, and arrested 2 others for felony violations.

Delaware’s current statewide seat belt usage rate is 92%.  OHS officials have begun their evaluation to determine if there has been any increase in the state’s belt usage rate in the last year by conducting a series of observational seat belt surveys at locations throughout Delaware.  OHS officials will be surveying motorists on roads throughout the state and recording whether drivers and passengers are wearing seat belts.  Motorists on all types of roadways from interstates to two-lane roads will be observed.  Survey results should be available by early fall.

Since January 1^st, 39% of all drivers and passengers killed in vehicle crashes in the First State were not wearing seat belts and as many as half of them may have survived the crash had they been buckled up.  Your chances of being partial or fully ejected from a vehicle increases significantly when not wearing a seat belt. The safest place in a crash is in the vehicle.  Click It or Ticket is a nationwide seat belt enforcement and awareness campaign aimed at saving lives by increasing the number of people who consistently buckle up.

Delaware’s campaign included an awareness message featuring a Delaware State Trooper “I write tickets to save lives.” The messages were aired statewide on radio, internet, and print and billboards.  OHS continued their partnerships with Racing Limos of Dover to wrap the hood of a limo with the Click It or Ticket message. OHS also sent seat belt kits to high schools that gave fun ideas and activities for the schools to help teach students about the importance of bucking up such as setting up a faux checkpoint as students leave the school parking lot.  OHS also partnered with Chick-Fil-A in Camden for a seat belt event featuring the Chick-Fil-A cow and OHS own Bucklebear.   OHS also promoted seat belt safety at Dover International Speedway May 30-June 1st with the NASCAR Nationwide Series Buckle Up 200 presented by Click It or Ticket that was also accompanied by a Buckle Up display in the Monster Mile FanZone with seat belt activities for fans.

OHS has also established new partnerships this year with several little league organizations throughout the state. Throughout the summer OHS will bring the seat belt message to parents and kids during the games with activities including a fast pitch game, mascot appearances by Wilmington Blue Rocks “Rocky”, the Shorebirds mascot “Sherman”, and OHS very own Bucklebear.  Each mascot will be handing out custom Buckle Up baseball cards to kids to teach them about seat belt safety.

The next wave of seat belt enforcement and education in hopes of getting more drivers and passengers buckled up will run June 6th to 19th followed by another wave July 18^th –August 2nd.

Seat belts save lives. Get the facts:

• Wearing a seat belt decreases your risk of being seriously injured or killed in a crash by approximately 50%.
• Strong seat belt laws protect families.  When parents are buckled up, 90% of the time their children are too.
• The safest place for children under 12 to be buckled up is the back seat.
• Hospital data shows that unbelted occupants in crashes are 3 times more likely to require a hospital stay. On average, hospital costs for an unbelted crash victim are 55% higher than those for a belted crash victim.

For more information on Click It or Ticket enforcement results and a look at updated campaign materials, please visit www.BuckleUpDE.org, like us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/ArriveAliveDE or follow us on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/DEHighwaySafe .

Dover –   Do you buckle up every time you get in a vehicle?  92% of Delawareans do, every trip every time.  The Delaware Office of Highway Safety (OHS) and law enforcement officials are reminding the other 8% to buckle up.  OHS will coordinate overtime seat belt enforcement with our law enforcement partners from March 8th to 16th.  Participating law enforcement agencies include Milford PD, New Castle County PD, Newark PD, Wilmington PD, Wyoming PD, and Delaware State Police.

OHS will be combining enforcement with paid media, education & outreach that will get the message to buckle up to the individuals in need of hearing the message.  Posters, informational flyers, and newsletters have been distributed to traffic safety partners, schools, and businesses that highlight the importance of seat belt use.  In addition, OHS is sponsoring the DIAA Boys Basketball tournament on March 6 and 8 at the UD Bob Carpenter Sports building and will have a Buckle Up Photo Booth, seat belt informational table, seat belt public service announcements, and halftime shooting contest to win NASCAR tickets to Dover International Speedway.  The shooting contest contestants will be chosen from those who visit the seat belt informational table and participants of the Buckle Up Photo Booth.

Paid media will accompany the enforcement with ads on tv, online, and Pandora.  In the new ads, individuals give their reasons why they wear a seat belt: “I do it for protection,” “I do it because, I like the way it makes me feel,” “I do it because my girlfriend prefers it”, yet 8% of Delawareans still don’t buckle up.

Delaware’s seat belt law requires all vehicle occupants, even back seat passengers, to be “properly” buckled up.  “Properly” means that both lap and shoulder belts must be worn.  In particular, the shoulder belt must be worn across the chest.  Anyone who puts the shoulder belt under their arm, or behind their back is in violation of state law and is putting themselves at greater risk for being seriously injured in a crash.

The law allows officers to pull over a driver if he/she sees any person in the vehicle not wearing a safety belt.  Officers will issue citations for seat belt violations as part of a zero-tolerance policy.  The ticket, which goes to the driver no matter who is unbuckled in the vehicle, is a $25.00 fine plus court administrative fees.

In addition, Delaware’s child restraint law says that the driver is responsible for making sure all children in the vehicle are properly buckled up.  All children under the age of 8 years or 65lbs must be in the appropriate child restraint seat (an infant, toddler or booster seat).  Children who are 8 or at least 65lbs in weight, whichever comes first, must be restrained in a seat belt.  Children under the age of 12 must ride in the back seat when front seat passenger air bags are present.  Child restraint violations are also $25.00 plus court administrative fees.

More waves of seat belt enforcement will take place in May, June, and July.    Delaware’s current seat belt use rate of 92% exceeds the latest 2012 national seat belt use rate of 86%.

For more information on Delaware’s seat belt law or enforcement campaigns, please visit the Office of Highway Safety’s website at www.ohs.delaware.gov, Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ArriveAliveDE, or Follow us on Twitter @DEHighwaySafe.  For information on the latest national seat belt use rate by states (2012) visit http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811809.pdf.

Dover – Delaware Office of Highway Safety officials are pleased to announce an increase Delaware’s statewide seat belt use rate.   Results from observational seat belt surveys conducted in June have revealed that the state’s 2013 statewide usage rate is 92%.    This is a significant increase from the 2012 statewide seat belt use rate of 88%.  The national 2012 seat belt use rate is 86%.

County seat belt rates have also increased. Kent County saw the highest increase from 79% in 2012 to 92% this year, New Castle County seat belt rate is now 90% compared to 87% in 2012 and Sussex County increased from 90% in 2012 to 93% for 2013.

“We are extremely happy with this increase in the state’s seat belt use rate particularly since we, in partnership with law enforcement statewide, and our partners in the healthcare, public safety and corporate communities, have worked so hard each year to keep increasing our usage rate,” said Jana Simpler, Director for the Delaware Office of Highway Safety.  “Higher seat belt use rates generally translate into more lives saved and that is always our ultimate goal.”

Sadly, the overall increase in seat belt use is not being reflected in this year’s fatal crash statics.  Since January 1^st of this year, of the 41 drivers and passengers killed in Delaware motor vehicle crashes, 20 (or 49%) of them were not wearing seat belts.  Unfortunately, these deaths typically involve other risky behaviors, including aggressive and impaired driving. Comparatively, at this time in 2012, 20 (or 43%) of the then 47 drivers and passengers killed were not wearing seat belts.

“While our surveys show more Delawareans are buckling up, nearly half of those killed on Delaware roadways this year were not. We are encouraging drivers to wear their seat belts for every trip and to make certain their passengers are belted too. Buckle up, not only for yourself, but also for your loved ones.  It’s an easy habit to adopt,” Lewis D. Schiliro, Secretary of Delaware Department of Safety and Homeland Security.

Delaware is one of only 16 states to have a primary seat belt law requiring drivers and all passengers, including those in the back seat, to wear a seat belt. An officer can pull over a driver if he sees any person not wearing a seat belt.  The seat belt ticket in Delaware with fine and fees is $86.50 and is issued to the driver no matter who is unbuckled in the vehicle.

Get the facts:

• Did you know that 45% of all occupant fatalities in Delaware last year were individuals not wearing a seat belt and that fewer than 1/3 of Delaware’s unrestrained fatals occur during the daytime.
• Wearing a seat belt decreases your risk of being seriously injured or killed in a crash by approximately 50%.
• Hospital data shows that unbelted occupants in crashes are 3 times more likely to require a hospital stay. On average, hospital costs for an unbelted crash victim are 55% higher than those for a belted crash victim.
• Strong seat belt laws protect families.  When parents are buckled up, 90% of the time their children are too.

For more information on Click It or Ticket enforcement results and a look at updated campaign materials, please visit www.ohs.delaware.gov, like us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/ArriveAliveDE or follow us on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/DEHighwaySafe .

It only takes a few minutes on the highway to know that people drive in all different ways.  Some drive fast.  Some drive slow.  Some choose to follow the rules of the road, while others do not.  Today, OHS is asking …what do you think about the way that you drive?

Get the Facts

Driving is serious business, but for most of us, it has been many years since we sat behind the wheel for the first time. Do you remember the things that you learned in Driver’s Ed class?  Though laws change, the basics of safe driving behavior are the same now as they were then.

• Buckle Up.  It’s the first thing you should do when you get in the car each and every time.  Day and Night.
• Drive Sober.   Never get behind the wheel when you are impaired by drugs or alcohol.  Period.
• Share the Road.  Be aware of what is going on around you.  Look and listen for motorcycles.  And remember to always look twice when changing lanes and pulling out from a stop.
• Don’t be That Guy.   Don’t turn into the aggressive person who speeds, runs red lights, and weaves through traffic.  Practice patience behind the wheel.  And always obey the posted speed limit and traffic signs.
• Watch for Pedestrians.  Everywhere you go, keep your eyes open for people walking near the roadway. Never assume that they will wait for you to pass.  Always be ready to stop.

OHS wants to know your views on traffic safety throughout the state by taking this short, anonymous survey.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/OHS2013Survey

As our way of saying “thank you”, you may submit your name and contact information at the end of the survey for a chance to win 2 tickets to one of the 3 races in September at the Monster Mile, OHS Drive Sober team racing apparel (hats, shirts, lanyards, etc.), or tickets to Firefly 2014!

Drive Safe.  Arrive Alive DE.

This message is being sent to you by the Office of Highway Safety, who asks you to drive safely at all times.  For more information on this and other traffic safety programs, go to www.ohs.delaware.gov.