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PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
In 1991, South
Carolina occupant protection statistics revealed that the state's
seat belt use rate fell short of the national rate of 62 percent.
The problem was particularly acute during the summer months,
when more vehicles were on the road, and the weather was hot
and humid, making seat belt use seem uncomfortable for motorists.
This increased the potential for fatalities and serious injuries
sustained during a motor vehicle crash.
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
The goal of the
Thank You Ticket Campaign was to reduce traffic crash-related
fatalities and injuries in South Carolina. Objectives of the
project were to:
- Create a new occupant
protection program to boost seat belt use
- Develop a program
to enhance enforcement activities
- Design a program
for implementation during the summer months
- Promote collaboration
among state law enforcement agencies and state automobile associations
STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES
In 1991, the Governor's
Office of Highway Safety and the Safety Office of the South Carolina
Department of Highways and Public Transportation formed a partnership
to increase seat belt use in the state. Borrowing a concept from
the Arkansas Traffic Safety Now program, the partners
developed the Thank You Ticket Campaign to boost occupant protection
law enforcement activities and promote seat belt use, particularly
during the summer months. The Thank You Ticket Campaign guidelines
were simple:
- Law enforcement
agencies around the state were invited to participate in the
campaign
- Thank You Tickets
were issued by participating law enforcement agencies at driver's
license and registration checkpoints, in cooperation with local
schools or businesses and at crash sites
- Thank You Tickets
were issued to motorists in whose vehicle the driver and all
passengers were properly restrained
- A motorist receiving
a Thank You Ticket completed the Ticket with their name and address,
mailed the Ticket to campaign headquarters and automatically
became eligible for cash prizes and other awards
- Participating law
enforcement agencies who distributed the most Thank You Tickets
during the program received cash prizes and other rewards
The first year of
the Campaign was very successful, with more than 300,000 Thank
You Tickets issued and 19,296 returned. Media coverage was extensive.
A campaign partner, the South Carolina Automobile and Truck Dealers
Association, donated cash prizes to the winning law enforcement
agencies and the motorists whose names were picked in a drawing.
During the most recent campaign, the winning law enforcement
agency received an in-car video camera, and the lucky winning
motorist was given the choice of a new leased Ford Explorer or
$1,000 cash. |
