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March 31, 2006 The Van Buren Police Department appeals to local pickup drivers to "Buckle Up in Your Truck." The Van Buren Police Department has united with traffic safety advocates across a five state region in a concerted drive to convince pickup truck drivers and passengers in Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, and the Indian Nations to "Buckle Up in Your Truck." State observation surveys show that well over a million pickup drivers and passengers in the five state region are still not buckling up, resulting in more than 1,000 pickup occupants dying in the five states every year in traffic crashes. Safety belt use in pickup trucks is 5 to 15 percentage points lower compared to all other passenger vehicles in the five states. "Pickups are twice as likely to roll over as passenger cars in fatal crashes. Nearly half of the deaths in pickup crashes in the region involve a rollover. Wearing your safety belt reduces the risk of dying in a rollover crash by up to 80 percent," according to Corporal Rob Rogers, Public Information Officer for the Van Buren Police Department. "And buckling up is your only defense against being ejected from your vehicle, one of the most deadly things that can happen to you in a crash," Rogers said. National research showed that of the partially or completely ejected occupants in the rollover crashes studied that 81 percent were not using safety belts compared to only 18 percent who were. From May 22nd through June 4th, Van Buren Police Department officers will also be out in force, participating in the "Buckle Up in Your Truck" campaign and safety belt enforcement mobilization. "There are still far too many people, regardless of the vehicle they drive, in this jurisdiction who don't think they need to buckle up. We want these drivers and passengers to know that far too many of our community's caring families are risking losing a husband or wife, a father or mother, a son or daughter simply for lack of wearing a safety belt. That's why we'd rather write them a ticket than see someone injured or dead in a crash down the road," Rogers said. The "Buckle Up in Your Truck" campaign is funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the highway safety offices in the five states and the Indian Nations. For driving tips on how to avoid rollover crashes and injuries, visit the web at www.actsinc.org/rollovers.cfm. For more information of the value of Buckling Up in Your Truck, visit www.BuckleUpinYourTruck.com.
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