|
Project
Characteristics |
|
Safety
Restraint Use
Enforcement
|
|
Program
Areas |
|
Occupant
Protection
|
Type
of Jurisdiction |
|
State |
Targeted
Population |
| Rural
and Metropolitan Areas |
Jurisdiction
Size |
| 20,851,820 |
Funding |
|
157
Funds: $549,040
|
Contact |
Mr.
David Sobel
TX Municipal Police Assoc.
505 East Huntland
Suite 110
Austin,
TX 78752
(512) 454-8900
david@tmpa.org
|
|
Digest
Listing
|
|
|
|
TEXAS
Buckle Up, Texas
(PDF Version)
PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
Although
Texas has had a primary safety belt law since 1985, its safety belt use rate was only
increasing one percent or less each year. A factor affecting this increase is
the lack of a central office working with police departments and sheriff’s
offices to consistently train law enforcement officers in occupant protection (OP) or provide assistance in developing or using OP
enforcement grants.
Additionally, the grant reporting process was difficult. Results were delayed
while data from hand prepared documents were compiled.
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
The Buckle
up,Texas
project’s goal is to increase law enforcement involvement in enforcing
safety restraint use in Texas.
The project’s objectives are to:
- Increase OP law enforcement;
- Improve OP enforcement grants results reporting; and
- Provide a central
information point for the diverse law enforcement agencies in the state.
STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES
The Buckle Up,T
exas
project implemented the following strategies and related activities to
achieve its goals and objectives:
-
Developed a web-based reporting
system for OP enforcement grants.
-
Created Buckle Up, Texas
website that contains wave program results, child safety information,
Texas seat belt laws, and links to OP resources.
The website also has a Buckle Up, Texas newsletter that is published after each wave enforcement period and contains
current events related to occupant safety issues and articles of interest from
communities around the state (http://www.buckleuptexas.com/seatbeltlaws/).
-
Assigned law enforcement liaisons to work specifically
with law enforcement agencies and local
Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) Traffic Safety Specialists on OP issues.
-
Hosted an annual summit for local law enforcement
officers. Officers met and discussed pertinent issues facing their jurisdictions
and received up-to-date OP training.
RESULTS
The
Buckle
Up,Texas
project achieved the following results from
October
1, 2002
to September
9, 2003
:
-
Received over 2.5 million
visits to the Buckle Up, Texas
website -
Implemented online reporting for all law enforcement
agencies with OP and other traffic safety enforcement grants
-
Increased front seat occupant restraint use statewide by
2.7 percent and child passenger restraint use by 1.6 percent
-
Held a Buckle Up, Texas
Summit in San Antonio
that was attended by 334 officers, municipal court judges, and personnel
-
Offered attendees breakout sessions covering various
topics related to traffic safety
-
Initiated OP enforcement campaigns attended by over 396
law enforcement agencies (Several agencies used their own funds to participate.)
-
Contacted 212 law enforcement agencies to assist with Buckle
Up,
Texas website reporting, to support agencies and districts on traffic safety
related issues, and to promote OP safety programs
|
