Buckle Up! the Fall seat belt campaign begins

OPP News Release

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North Bay - Commencing Saturday, September 22nd, 2007, officers of North Bay, Mattawa and Powassan OPP Detachments will actively take part in this year’s Fall Seat Belt Campaign which runs until Sunday, September 30th, 2007. Seatbelt usage remains a traffic safety priority for the OPP.

This year’s theme is “Full Occupant Restraint”. Officers will check that every occupant is safely ‘buckled-in’. Ongoing public education and enforcement will give us a winning combination in reducing the rate of unbelted vehicle occupants. Using seat belts is the single most effective way to reduce vehicle related injuries and fatalities.

Provincially, to date in 2007, 89 of 335 people killed in collisions on O.P.P. patrolled roadways were not wearing seatbelts. This is a 30.9% increase over the same period last year. Last year’s initiative (September 23rd to October 1st, 2006), the officers in the North Bay and area checked 3,215 vehicles and charged 21 people with seatbelt violations.

It takes less than five seconds to fasten your seatbelt. Please ensure you ‘Buckle Up’.

Seat belts save lives!

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