On {DATE},{ORGANIZATION} announced its official support of {CHIEF OF POLICE/ SHERIFF} and the {TOWN} police for their participation in a national mobilization this Thanksgiving week (November 22-28) to protect children by stepping up enforcement of child passenger safety laws. Thousands of law enforcement agencies across the country will take part in the second wave of the 1999 Operation ABC Mobilization: America Buckles Up Children – the largest ever coordinated enforcement effort on drivers who don’t buckle up children.

Crashes #1 Killer of America’s Kids Traffic crashes are the leading cause of death and injury to children ages 0 - 15. Six out of ten children killed in crashes are completely unrestrained. There are one-third fewer traffic fatalities to children who ride properly restrained in the back seat. Seat belts increase the chance of surviving a crash by nearly 45 percent. Child safety seats, properly installed, reduce the risk of death by 69 percent for infants and 47 percent for toddlers. The best way to get children buckled up is to get adults buckled up. A recent study reported in the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics found "driver restraint use was the strongest predictor of child restraint use...a restrained driver was three times more likely to restrain a child." And according to surveys by NHTSA, when drivers aren’t buckled, the number of children riding with them who are also unrestrained mirrors the adult level, reaching 76 percent. In addition, a survey of parents who have infants shows that the lack of adult belt use particularly endangers babies. Parents who don’t buckle up are more likely to improperly place babies in the front seat, leaving them at serious risk of being injured or killed by an air bag.

"At this season of thanksgiving, we need to show our appreciation for the untold numbers of law enforcement officers in every state who work tirelessly to protect children from the greatest danger they face – being unrestrained in a crash," said Dr. Ricardo Martinez, Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), co-sponsor of the Operation ABC Mobilization. "We know these officers will be energized by the groundswell of support from organizations like {ORGANIZATION} across the country."

"Law enforcement does so much good that goes unappreciated that {ORGANIZATION} felt the need to applaud every officer who takes the lifesaving step of ticketing unbuckled drivers," said {ORGANIZATION SPOKESPERSON}. "This {COMPANY, ASSOCIATION, ADVOCACY GROUP}is speaking out for the parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles that comprise our membership, all of whom want to protect children. The Operation ABC Mobilization is the kind of broad community-based movement our nation needs to recognize and thank for putting a priority on saving children’s lives."

The Thanksgiving week (November 22-28) Operation ABC Mobilization comes on the heels of extremely successful Mobilizations in 1998, and this year’s Memorial Day week Mobilization. A study recently conducted by NHTSA found that 19 million more Americans buckled up in 1998.

Most importantly, there is now strong statistical evidence that Operation ABC is working to save lives. Between 1996 when the Operation ABC Mobilization began and 1998, child fatalities in crashes decreased by 12.3 percent (Fatality Analysis Reporting System). Nationwide in that same time period, child restraint use in toddlers has increased 30 percent – now almost 90 percent of toddlers are restrained. In the same time period, the use of seat belts for children ages 5-15 has risen to almost 70 percent.

"The impact of these Mobilizations clearly illustrates that high visibility enforcement works," said {ORGANIZATION SPOKESPERSON}. "With six out of ten children killed in crashes being completely unrestrained, we are urging zero tolerance for unbuckled kids. That is why the {ORGANIZATION} gives its "Endorsement for Enforcement" and pledges our support to this unparalleled effort to save children’s lives by using every means possible to get kids buckled up."