State Police Prepare For Holiday Enforcement

SOUTH CHARLESTON – The West Virginia State Police are preparing for the 2008 Memorial Day weekend through participation in three highway safety campaigns. The highly successful Click It or Ticket Mobilization blitz period began Monday, May 12 and will end on Sunday, June 6, 2008.

On April 30, 2008, the State of West Virginia was awarded $5 million by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for being only one of four states nationwide to maintain a seatbelt usage rate of 85% or more for two consecutive years. The current seatbelt usage rate is 89.5%

Operation C.A.R.E. (Combined Accident Reduction Effort) will begin on Friday, May 23 and end on Monday, May 26, 2008. This national C.A.R.E. campaign was formed as a multi-jurisdictional program of patrol, enforcement, and planning activities committed to the goal of accident reduction. On average, there are six C.A.R.E. enforcement periods every year.

The last campaign, All American Buckle-Up Week, begins on Monday, May 19 and also ends on Monday, May 26, 2008. Just as the name states, All American Buckle-Up Week focuses on educating drivers about the importance of using seat belts and child safety restraint devices.

In order to achieve the goals established in the campaigns, the West Virginia State Police will increase patrols on the state’s highways, particularly on state, county and secondary routes. Troopers will be focusing on counties and roadways where traffic crash rates are high.

Make use of the *SP (*77) function on your cellular phone. This function can be used on any cellular phone and is free of charge. By dialing *SP, drivers can report stranded motorists and/or dangerous drivers to the State Police.

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