NASCAR Weekend Checkpoint Results

Dover – Officers arrested 6 individuals for Driving Under the Influence (DUI) of alcohol and/or drugs over NASCAR weekend as part of the Checkpoint Strikeforce campaign.  The total DUI arrests since enforcement began for Checkpoint Strikeforce campaign this year in July is now at 179 and there have been over 3,700 DUI arrests statewide since January.

In addition to last weekend’s 6 DUI arrests, officers issued 1 citation for underage drinking, apprehended 2 wanted individuals, made 2 drug arrests, issued 1 cell phone citation, issued 5 seat belt citations, issued 1 child restraint citation, and issued 33 citations for various other traffic violations.

Two sobriety checkpoints are scheduled to occur the weekend of October 6th.  They are scheduled as follows:

Friday October 5th–   Newark (NcCo DUI Task Force)- checkpoint

Saturday October 6th-   Dover (multi-jurisdictional effort)- checkpoint

Those convicted of a first time DUI offense in Delaware can expect to lose their driver’s license for up to three months, attend an 8-week DUI treatment class and pay nearly 4-thousand dollars in court, treatment, DMV, and lawyer’s fees.

Checkpoint Strikeforce is a regional sobriety checkpoint campaign aimed at arresting DUI offenders, and using high visibility enforcement to deter those who would otherwise choose to drink and drive.  The campaign, a six month long effort running through New Year’s Eve, involves setting up weekly DUI checkpoints statewide.

For more information on Checkpoint Strikeforce visit www.ohs.delaware.gov and follow regular campaign updates on Twitter at www.twitter.com/DEHighwaySafe and Facebook www.facebook.com/ArriveAliveDE.  You can also see the real consequences of a DUI in Delaware at DUIRealTime.com.


Traffic Safety News – Drive Safely to Work Week

Every year OHS supports the Network of Employers for Traffic Safety’s yearly traffic safety campaign, Drive Safely to Work Week. This year, join us in getting Back to Basics. Simply put, it means focusing on driving the car instead of multi-tasking.  Remember when you were a young driver, and it took all of your senses to drive:  both hands on the wheel, both eyes on the road, mind completely on the task of driving? NETS would like us to remember experience does not necessarily make a better driver.

What you need to know

Many employees commute in the first state.  The average commute time for Delawareans is 24.3 minutes, which is nearly 50 minutes on the road each work day.  Here are some interesting facts that you should know:

  • 900,000 people live in the state of Delaware; of those, 653,141 are licensed drivers.
  • On average, 80% of workers who commute drive alone.
  • In 2011, there were 5,204 personal injury crashes and 97 fatal crashes.
  • In the same year, 1 out of every 25 licensed drivers was involved in a traffic crash.

What you can do

Since the average person spends a significant amount of time driving to and from work, NETS would like to remind each of us to remember the keys of safe driving:

  • Always buckle up. It only takes a few seconds to do the one thing that will keep you safest in the event of a crash.
  • Drive with a clear head. Drowsy driving can be as dangerous as impaired driving.
  • Avoid distractions. Distractions come in many forms, eliminate as many of them as possible.
  • Know the basics of parking and backing. Many crashes can be avoided by simply by being aware of blind spots.
  • Review the fundamentals. Go back to the basics of safe driving, including:  mirror placement, scanning the environment around your vehicle, and signaling your intentions.

For more information on DSWW and to get a free information kit, go to www.trafficsafety.org.

Drive Safe.  Arrive Alive DE.

This message is brought 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.


Delaware Office of Highway Safety & NASCAR Driver J.J. Yeley Team Up To Drive Sober & Arrive Alive DE

Dover – The Delaware Office of Highway Safety (OHS) will again team up with NASCAR driver J.J. Yeley at the Monster Mile next weekend (September 28-30) to remind fans to Drive Sober and Arrive Alive. This time Yeley will pull a double duty and drive the #27 Nationwide car with Go Canada Motorsports (GCMI) on Saturday and then on Sunday drive the #36 Tommy Baldwin Racing (TBR) car for the Sprint Cup race.  Yeley will be promoting the Drive Sober message all race weekend with OHS at various events and activities in the Monster Mile Fan Zone including t-shirt giveaways for participants of the Tipsy Tricycle, and signing autographs at the OHS booth.

“OHS is very excited to partner with J.J again to promote the Drive Sober message,” said Jana Simpler, Director of the Office of Highway Safety. “He is a great spokesperson for this partnership and we thank new partners Tommy Baldwin Racing and Go Canada Motorsports for helping us spread the message to the NASCAR fan base and creating more buzz among the audience we are trying to reach with this message.”

OHS & Yeley have a full schedule of fan activities including the OHS exhibit in the Monster Mile Fan Zone all weekend long. OHS staff will be giving out t-shirts to those who attempt to ride the Tipsy Tricycle around an obstacle course while wearing DUI goggles that simulate impairment. All those 21 years and older are invited to participate.  Fans can watch Yeley demo the Tipsy Trike on Trackside, hosted by Krista Voda, on SPEED TV Friday night.

Saturday Yeley will debut the # 27 Drive Sober. Arrive Alive DE Chevrolet with GCMI in the ‘OneMain Financial 200’ NASCAR Nationwide Series race.   After the race Yeley will meet up with fans again in the Dover Downs Casino Colonnade to sign autographs from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.  Special giveaways will be available to fans.

Then Sunday, Yeley will be back in the FanZone to sign autographs from 9:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.  and then race fans around the Tipsy Tricycle course before jumping into the #36 Drive Sober. Arrive Alive DE Chevrolet with TBR in the ‘AAA 400’ NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race.

The partnership between OHS and J.J. Yeley began at the 2011 Dover May race where Yeley was a guest speaker at the 10th Anniversary kick off of the Click It or Ticket campaign to promote seat belt use.

“J.J. has been such a great supporter of traffic safety and we really enjoy working with him to promote our campaigns at both the spring and fall races at the Monster Mile,” said Alison Kirk, Community Relations Officer for OHS. “Having the opportunity to work with TBR and GCMI to bring our messages to such a large audience and to really get the fans involved in the activities is what this is all about. We hope to continue to partner with J.J. and NASCAR teams in the future to keep spreading traffic safety messages.”

For a full list of OHS race weekend activity visit www.ohs.delaware.gov/pdfs/2012/2012_Monster_Mile_Fall_Race_Weekend_Schedule.pdf or follow OHS on Twitter at www.twitter.com/DEHighwaySafe and J.J. Yeley at www.twitter.com/jjyeley1 and Like OHS on Facebook www.facebook.com/ArriveAliveDE and J.J. Yeley Offical Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/JJ-Yeley-Official/188904204467053. For OHS Drive Sober campaign updates visit www.DUIrealtime.com.

About Tommy Baldwin Racing: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) Crew Chief Tommy Baldwin formed Tommy Baldwin Racing (TBR) in 2009. Baldwin utilized a declining economy to open a NSCS team with a stringent budget. The team worked to build to full-time competition, and by the 2011 season, the team’s third season, TBR competed in every race and locked the No. 36 Chevrolet in the top-35 in NSCS Owner Points. Dave Blaney drove the No. 36 Chevrolet to TBR’s highest finish of third in the October 2011 event at Talladega Superspeedway. TBR also fielded a second car for select races in the past two seasons with multiple drivers.

Based in Mooresville, N.C., TBR will compete in the NSCS in 2012 with NASCAR veterans David Reutimann and Dave Blaney. The team will also compete in the NASCAR Nationwide Series with Ryan Blaney, Bobby Santos and Ryan Truex.

For more information on Tommy Baldwin Racing, visit tommybaldwinracing.com or follow us on Facebook, facebook.com/TBR.HBR, and Twitter, twitter.com/TBR_Racing

About GC Motorsports International: GC Motorsports Inc was formed in 2011 when Canadian businessman Steve Meehan purchased the assets of the #27 NASCAR Nationwide Series team that had previously competed under both the names Brewco Motorsports and GCMI. The team collectively has over 800 series starts, 10 wins, 70 top fives, and 183 top ten finishes. Since 1995 the team has featured drivers such as Greg Biffle, David Ragan, Bobby Labonte, Jamie McMurray, Michael Waltrip, Ken Schrader, Ward Burton, Scott Wimmer, Casey Atwood, Johnny Sauter, Nelson Piquet Jr. and Robby Gordon.

For more information on GC Motorsports, email Matt Crews at mcrews@fullcircle360.com.

 


Know For Sure If Your Child Is In The Right Car Seat.

National Child Passenger Safety Week September 16th – 22nd

Dover – The Office of Highway Safety (OHS) will conduct a “National Seat Check Saturday” event on Sept. 22 at the Community Bank Delaware in Lewes.  Certified child passenger safety technicians will be on hand from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. to check car seats for proper installation and advise parents and caregivers how to choose the right car seats and install them properly in their vehicles.  The event is taking place as part of Child Passenger Safety Week (Sept. 16-22), and is free to the public.

This special week is dedicated to promoting the correct and consistent use of child safety seats.  Children using incorrectly installed car seats face dramatically increased rates of death and injury in the event of a crash.

“You can never predict or control what other drivers might do or how the weather might change the safety of a roadway,” said Jana Simpler, Director for OHS.  “As a mother, I know the best way to protect our children from injury or death in a crash is to put them in the right car seats for their age and size and use those seats correctly on every trip, every time.

OHS child passenger Fitting Stations will also be open during the week and taking appointments for car seat checks.  Call for times and dates.

Wilmington DMV         Dover DMV                        DSP Troop 7-Lewes

2230 Hessler Blvd       303 Transportation Cir.    18006 Coastal Hwy

302.434.3234                  302.744.2749                    302.853.1014

Parents are urge to follow NHTSA’s car seat recommendations that recommend parents and caregivers keep children in their restraint types for as long as possible according to manufacturer instructions before moving them to the next type. For maximum safety, a parent or caregiver should have the car seat installation inspected by a certified Child Passenger Safety Technician to ensure their children are in the right seats for their age and size.  Children 12 and under should always ride in the back seat.

Birth – 12 months

For the best possible protection, your child under age 1 should always ride in a rear-facing car seat. There are different types of rear-facing car seats: infant-only seats can only be used rear-facing. Convertible and 3-in-1 car seats typically have higher height and weight limits for the rear-facing position, allowing you to keep your child rear-facing for a longer period of time.

1 – 3 years

Your child should remain in a rear-facing car seat until the child reaches the top height or weight limit allowed by your car seat’s manufacturer. This may result in many children riding rear-facing to age 2 or older. Once your child outgrows the rear-facing car seat, your child is ready to travel in a forward-facing car seat with a harness.

4 – 7 years

Keep your child in a forward-facing car seat with a harness until the child reaches the top height or weight limit allowed by your car seat’s manufacturer. Once your child outgrows the forward-facing car seat with a harness, it’s time to travel in a booster seat, but still in the back seat.

8 – 12 years

Keep your child in a booster seat until the child is big enough to fit in a seat belt properly. For a seat belt to fit properly the lap belt must lie snugly across the upper thighs, not the stomach. The shoulder belt should lie snug across the shoulder and chest and not cross the neck or face.

Remember:

  • Select a car seat based on your child’s age and size, choose a seat that fits in your vehicle, and use it on every trip, every time.
  • Always refer to your specific car seat manufacturer’s instructions; read the vehicle owner’s manual on how to install the car seat using the seat belt or LATCH system; and check height and weight limits.
  • To maximize safety, keep your child in the car seat for as long as possible, as long as the child fits within the manufacturer’s height and weight requirements.
  • Keep your child in the back seat at least through age 12.

Delaware law requires each child to be properly restrained in a motor vehicle and children under the age of 8 or 65 lbs in weight (whichever comes first) to be properly secured in a child safety seat.  Additionally, in vehicles with airbags, children under the age of 12 must be seated in the back seat of the vehicle, and it is the driver’s responsibility to make sure everyone in the vehicle is buckled up and properly secured.  The fine plus fees for violating the law is $83.50.

To learn more about the 4 steps for child safety and to find the times and dates of car seat check locations visit OHS website at http://www.ohs.delaware.gov/information/cps.shtml and www.safercar.gov/therightseat.  Also follow us on Twitter www.twitter.com/DEHighwaySafe and Like Us on Facebook www.facebook.com/ArriveAliveDE for regular campaign updates.


Week 8 Results for Checkpoint Strikeforce

Dover – Twenty one (21) people were arrested for Driving Under the Influence (DUI) of alcohol and/or drugs during the eighth weekend of the 2012 Checkpoint Strikeforce DUI prevention campaign.  This brings the total DUI arrests made as part of the campaign to 107.  Statewide, there have been over 3,100 DUI arrests made in Delaware this year.

In addition to the checkpoint DUI arrests last weekend, officers issued 1 cell phone citation, apprehended 6 wanted individuals, made 4 drug arrests, issued 6 seat belt citations, and issued 42 citations for various other traffic violations.

Two checkpoints are scheduled to take place the weekend of August 24th.   They are scheduled for:

Friday August 24th –  Newport – (NCCo DUI Task Force)- checkpoint

Saturday August 25th –  Georgetown- (multi-jurisdictional effort)- checkpoint

Checkpoint Strikeforce is a regional sobriety checkpoint campaign aimed at arresting DUI offenders, by using high visibility enforcement to deter those who would otherwise choose to drink and drive.  The campaign, a six month long effort running through New Year’s Eve, involves setting up weekly DUI checkpoints statewide.

For more information on Checkpoint Strikeforce visit www.ohs.delaware.gov, www.DUIRealTime.com and find us here