It began on May 13th, and continues through Memorial Day Weekend to Tuesday the 31st. Another CLICK IT OR TICKET campaign for the Danville Police Department, made possible by funding grants from the Illinois Department of Transportation. Danville Deputy Police Chief Terry McCord joined us over the weekend on 1490 WDAN’s News Makers. And as he explained, the police do not go into this wanting to write tickets. They go into it wanting to teach the public about safety.
And Deputy Chief McCord says that teaching needs to begin with parents setting an example for their kids. Put those seat belts on and wear them property. And that includes the shoulder portion of the seat belt, because it is designed to engage and protect you in the event of a quick breaking or collision situation.
AUDIO: You know, if you wear your seat belt and then put the shoulder strap behind you, that’s just as illegal as not wearing the seat belt. So you have to properly wear your seat belt. It locks in place; it keeps the driver and the passenger back where they should be up-and-down. As advanced as the air bags are nowadays, that seat belt is still the primary piece of equipment to keep you safe.
Also going on right now, end of the year events for high school students, from proms to graduation parties. Deputy Chief McCord says if there’s one thing he would say to those youngsters, it would be concentrate on the road, only.
AUDIO: Stay off your cell phones. Do not get on those cell phones in the cars. No need to rush; watch your speed. If there’s something I could do more to educate the public and really get everyone to realize “wait until you get where you’re going to get on that phone,” it would be that. We’ve got to stay off those cell phones.
Deputy Chief McCord says not using cell phones while driving is certainly another way that parents and adults can set an example for the kids.
