Last week N. C. A&T lost three of its finest students. Tiffany Helene Kittrell, Carla Marie Marshall and Lynai Bree Thorne were special friends. For many years they shared wonderful experiences with each other, and ironically they ended up sharing death with each other.
As a mother I am deeply wounded by this tragedy. In an effort to 'do something' I decided to submit this article in honor of Tiffany, Carla and Lynai.
I would like to remind motorists (that includes you and me) to drive safely and plan extra travel time this Thanksgiving holiday in anticipation of heavier-than-normal traffic and possible slowdowns in highway-improvement work zones.
With the increased traffic projected over the Thanksgiving holiday comes increased driver responsibility. All motorists should make every attempt to drive safely, observe posted speed limits, refuse to drink and drive, and make sure that everyone in the vehicle is buckled up.
The holidays can be a hectic time, but that’s no excuse to forget safety behind the wheel. Inattentive and fatigued driving are among the factors leading to serious traffic crashes. So please remember to drive smart and buckle up ‘every trip, every time.’
One group especially at risk is young drivers, who pair the strains of holiday driving with inexperience. Research from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) shows that 80 percent of fatal crashes involving teenagers can be attributed to driver error. Furthermore, 60 percent of fatalities in this age group could be prevented by the use of seat belts.
Parents talk to your children often about the responsibilities of the road.
Young motorists need to understand that driving is about personal accountability. By serving as role models and staying involved in the early steps of driving, parents can be instrumental in teaching this critical lesson.
State and local police departments plan to repeat the highly effective “Click It or Ticket” enforcement effort just in time for the holidays. Here’s how it works: After receiving a citation
for a traffic violation such as speeding or for not restraining a child under age four in a child safety seat, unbuckled drivers may receive a second citation. In addition, written materials will be distributed to motorists at random safety checkpoints.
The ‘Click It or Ticket’ campaign started in 1993 and is a very effective tool for getting people to buckle up. Nationwide law-enforcement agencies are aggressively enforcing this program for one reason -- they'd like to see everyone make it home for the holidays this year.
The 'Click it or Ticket' campaign is a joint seat-belt education and enforcement effort by law-enforcement agencies, State Police, State-wide DOT and the U.S. Department of Transportation.
For every percentage point that the national seat-belt use rate increases, three million new people buckle up and 250 lives are saved.
Here are suggestions to improve driving safety, including:
* Be alert for changing weather conditions;
* Plan extra time to get to your destination;
* Take frequent breaks or rotate drivers during extended drives;
* Always buckle up;
* Refuse to drink and drive;
* Slow down and follow the posted speed limit;
* Maintain a safe distance between vehicles;
* Use turn signals; and
* On interstates and other four-lane divided highways, drive in the right lane and pass using the left lane.
Check your local listings to find out if travel restrictions are in place on larger road projects.
Motorists should pay particular attention when driving through work zones.
I urge all motorists to observe posted speed limits in work zones and to use extra caution and observe the rules of safe driving.
Nationwide we hear of fatalities occurring in work zones, many involve highway workers.
The vast majority of work-zone crashes involve speeding, aggressive driving and tailgating. The safest way to travel through a highway work zone is to stay alert; pay attention to the warning signs; drive the posted speed limit; maintain a safe distance around vehicles; and use four-way flashers when stopped or traveling slowly. Buckle up, and make sure everyone in your vehicle is buckled up before you begin your trip.
“Click It or Ticket” This Thanksgiving Weekend
Up to 567 National Highway Fatalities Projected
During Busy Thanksgiving Weekend
The Thanksgiving holiday weekend kicks off one of the Nation’s busiest travel seasons of the year, as families and friends gather for the first of many year-end holidays.
[Check
www.stopimpaireddriving.org for 2004 data.]
Safety Belts Save Lives
* Safety belts are the single most effective way to protect your family in vehicle crashes.
* Seventy-five percent of the passenger vehicle occupants who were in fatal crashes in 2004 and were restrained, survived the crash.
* According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 31,693 people died in passenger vehicle crashes during 2004 – and more than half of those killed were NOT wearing their safety belts at the time of the crash.
* Although national safety belt use increased to a record 82 percent in 2005 (up from 58 percent since 1994), there are still too many people who choose not to regularly wear their safety belts.
* Of great concern is the fact that belt use is far lower in the rear seat than the front. A detailed survey in 2004 showed that only 47 percent of rear-seats passengers in 2005 were belted, compared to 80 percent in the front seat.
* Women continue to use safety belts more than men do. In 2004, 83 percent of female motorists were belted, compared to 77 percent of males.
Young Males, Teens/Young Adults, and Pickup Truck Drivers Still at Greatest Risk
* In 2002, motor vehicle crashes were the leading cause of death for males and females from 3 to 33 years old.
* Men – especially younger men – are much less likely to buckle up. In 2004, 67 percent of male drivers and 73 percent of male passengers between the ages of 18-and 34 who were killed in crashes were NOT wearing their safety belts.
Too many people, especially teens, young male drivers (age 18 to 34), and pickup truck drivers still take the attitude, “It will never happen to me,” but fatal crashes can happen, they do happen, and unfortunately, they will happen this Thanksgiving weekend.
* Teens and young adults, both males and females, between the ages of 16-and 24 are the age group least likely to wear their safety belts – dropping to a 77 percent belt use rate compared to 84 percent among boys and girls in the 8-to 15 age range.
* Safety belt use in the Nation’s rural areas also consistently trails the national average, with pick-up truck drivers among those least likely to buckle up.
* In 2004, observed safety belt use among pickup truck drivers and passengers was only 70 percent (compared to the 80 percent national belt use average in all vehicles.)
* Even more alarming, the ejection rate for occupants of pickup trucks involved in fatal crashes is nearly double the rate for passenger car occupants – because pickup trucks in fatal crashes roll over twice as often as passenger cars.
* You can increase your odds of survival in a rollover crash in a light truck by nearly 80 percent if you wear your safety belt.
Children Must Be Properly Restrained, Too.
* Parents are getting the message: 99 percent of all American infants under 1 year old are now restrained.
* Older children need to be in the appropriate restraint and properly installed for their size and age.
* Unfortunately, 8 out of 10 child restraints are improperly installed.
* One study showed that children who are moved from child safety seats to regular vehicle safety belts too early are four times more likely to sustain a serious head injury in a crash than those restrained in child safety seats or booster seats. The easiest way to remember is “if they are under 4’9”, they need to be in a booster seat.”
* For maximum child passenger safety, parents, grandparents and caregivers should always remember and follow “The 4 Steps for Kids:”:
1. Use rear-facing infant seats in the back seat from birth to at least 1 year of age and until they weigh at least 20 pounds;
2. Use forward-facing toddler seats in the back seat from age 1 and at least 20 pounds to about age 4 and 40 pounds;
3. Use booster seats in the back seat from about age 4 to at least age 8, unless the child is 4’ 9” tall.
4. Use safety belts at age 8 and older or taller than 4‘9 ”. ALL children age 12 and under should ride in the back seat.
“Click It or Ticket”
* Many part-time safety belt users say they forget or just fail to wear their safety belts on shorter trips or when traveling close to home.
* Yet, deadly traffic crashes can and do happen anywhere at any time – in your neighborhood, on your way to work, when driving your kids to school, or when running errands close to home.
* During the holidays, long trips far from home can be even more deadly.
* That is why law enforcement officials will be out in force protecting families this Thanksgiving weekend showing zero tolerance for those not buckled up.
* This is not about writing more tickets. It is about saving more lives.
* This Thanksgiving weekend, unless you want to risk a ticket – or worse, your life – always remember to “Click It or Ticket.”
I am deeply grieved by the loss of Tiffany, Carla and Lynai. They were yesterday's promise, today's hope, and tomorrow's leaders.
My sincerest condolences are extended to the families of these remarkable women who died so very young.
Tiffany Helene Kittrell, Carla Marie Marshall and Lynai Bree Thorne.
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Saturday, November 19th 2005 at 9:45PM
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