VSU Supports Click It or Ticket; Campaign Begins Today

VALDOSTA - The Office of Alcohol and Other Drug Awareness at Valdosta State University is supporting and promoting the Georgia State Patrol’s “Click It or Ticket” campaign, which began Monday, Nov. 19.

“The Office of Alcohol and Other Drug Education would like to remind the VSU community that state law enforcement agencies will be conducting the ‘Click It or Ticket’ campaign over the next few days,” Mark Williams, program coordinator, said. “If your holiday plans include travel, please buckle your seat belt and insist your passengers do the same, whether driving across the state or across town; watch your speed and be aware that driving conditions may change at any time; and of course don’t drink and drive.”

Initiated during the holiday season due to typical increases in traffic fatalities, the “Click It or Ticket” campaign calls for all Georgia law enforcement agencies to crack down on unbuckled drivers and their passengers. More than 1,000 travelers were injured and 18 were killed on Georgia roads during last year’s 4-day Thanksgiving weekend. According to the GSP, Thanksgiving weekend is one of the most dangerous times of the year, due to low safety belt use.

The safety belt enforcement initiative will incorporate high-visibility road checks and concentrated patrols to remind motorists to encourage travelers to make safety belts a part of holiday tradition and everyday safety.

“They’re not just for the long road-trips to grandma’s house. They’re lifesavers for the cross town shopping hop to the mall too,” Bob Dallas, director of the Governor's Office of Highway Safety, said. “For safety’s sake, everyone should be buckled-up, every seat, every trip, every time.

“Click It or Ticket” coincides with the Mother Against Drunk Drivers (MADD) “Tie One On For Safety,” which runs through New Year’s Day. During the holiday season, MADD distributes more than six million red ribbons for supporters to tie on car antennas as a pledge to drive safe, sober and buckled-up.

VSU’s Office of Alcohol and Other Drug Awareness will survey drivers after the VSU community returns from Thanksgiving break to determine the awareness of and willingness to adhere to safety belt laws and plans to generate a report with the results. For more information, call coordinator Mark Williams at (229) 259-5111.