‘Buckle Up for a Buck’ event sees over 90 percent of drivers wearing seat belts

March 20, 2019 | 3:20 am

Updated March 19, 2019 | 9:11 pm

As a part of the Buckle Up for a Buck event, five OPD officers stood in the parking lot at McDonald’s on West Parrish Avenue from 10:30-11:45 a.m., handing out $1 bills to those who drove into the restaurant wearing a seat belt. | Photo by AP Imagery

Owensboro Police Department hosted their “Buckle Up for a Buck” event on Tuesday. Five OPD officers stood in the parking lot at McDonald’s on West Parrish Avenue from 10:30-11:45 a.m., handing out $1 bills to those who drove into the restaurant wearing a seat belt.

Photo by AP Imagery

In the effort to spread seat belt safety awareness, OPD has hosted the event since they were part of a focused 2016 National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) program that focused on seat belt usage.

“That’s when we started this program, along with focused enforcement — issuing tickets for not wearing seat belts — and speaking with the public about the importance of seat belt safety,” said OPD Public Information Officer Andrew Boggess.

Over the course of the year-long NHTSA program, OPD saw seat belt usage increase from 86 to 93 percent in the City of Owensboro.

“We saw a definite increase in seat belts being worn during that time,” Boggess said.

Boggess said the Buckle Up for a Buck event is a way to reward residents for doing something positive. Those who weren’t wearing seat belts were handed a brochure that listed statistics about seat belt safety.

During Tuesday’s event, over 100 people drove through the McDonald’s lot, and Boggess said over 90 percent were found to be wearing their seat belt when they entered the premises.

“This was an opportunity to highlight seat belt safety without giving everyone a ticket,” Boggess said.

Photo by AP Imagery

March 20, 2019 | 3:20 am

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