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Buckle up: Shenandoah National Park to enforce seat belt use May 20 to June 2

driver pulled over by police
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Shenandoah National Park is partnering with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration during the Memorial Day holiday to encourage drivers and passengers to buckle up.

The national Click It or Ticket seat belt enforcement effort runs May 20 to June 2.

“We want seat belt use to be an automatic habit for drivers and passengers,” said Chief Ranger Cynthia Sirk-Fear. “Buckling up is the simplest thing you can do to limit injury or save your life during a crash. We see the results of not wearing a seat belt all the time. So often, it could have been prevented.”

One of the focuses of the Click It or Ticket campaign is nighttime enforcement. NHTSA data shows a higher number of unrestrained passenger vehicle occupant fatalities happen at night.

“If the enforcement effort alerts people to the dangers of unrestrained driving, we’ll consider our mission to be a success,” said Sirk-Fear.

“If you know a friend or a family member who does not buckle up when they drive, please ask them to consider changing their habits. Seat belts save lives, and everyone — front seat and back, child and adult — needs to remember to buckle up.”

 

Crystal Graham

Crystal Graham

Crystal Abbe Graham is the regional editor of Augusta Free Press. A 1999 graduate of Virginia Tech, she has worked for 25 years as a reporter and editor for several Virginia publications, written a book, and garnered more than a dozen Virginia Press Association awards for writing and graphic design. She was the co-host of "Viewpoints," a weekly TV news show, and co-host of Virginia Tonight, a nightly TV news show on PBS. Her work on "Virginia Tonight" earned her a national Telly award for excellence in television.