20th Safe & Sober Planner

Operation ABC

You Drink & Drive. You Lose.

Letter to Local Law
Tips & Ideas

More than 1,000 "Endorsements for Enforcement" letters from child passenger safety technicians, emergency medical personnel and other child safety advocates were received during our spring Mobilization. Local chapters of physician and nursing organizations, women’s clubs, public health organizations, elected officials, youth groups, sororities, faith groups and many others sent their support to say, "We endorse aggressive law enforcement of child seat laws."

Here are some of the suggestions they sent of how they demonstrated their own support for zero tolerance for unbuckled children:

  • Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. in Chester, PA, developed a Buckle Up Pledge Program.
  • SLR Ambulance in Evansville, IL, e-mailed their Endorsements to the offices of every representative in the state legislature.
  • The State Attorney’s Office in Gainesville, FL, urged other organizations to join them in educating their employees about Operation ABC Mobilization.
  • The Safety Council of Southwest Louisiana in Lake Charles, LA, organized special outreach efforts at a state tourist center and also filmed a television spot at a local emergency room.
  • The Upland Public Library in Upland, CA, created a display in their library featuring instructions for correct use of seat belts and child safety seats.
  • The Pediatrics Clinic at Harlem Hospital in New York City taught parents how to properly restrain children safely in child safety seats.

Enforcement

Dear Chief of Police / Sheriff / Colonel of State Police or Highway Patrol:

I am the {TITLE} at {ORGANIZATION}, and I am writing to you on behalf of our {# OF EMPLOYEES, MEMBERS} to say thank for your stepped-up enforcement of child passenger safety and seat belt laws in {STATE} during the holiday season. You have truly saved lives. I encourage you to participate this Thanksgiving week (November 22-28) in the Operation ABC Mobilization: America Buckles Up Children, a nationwide coordinated high visibility enforcement effort focused on drivers who don’t buckle up children. {ORGANIZATION} joins over 1,000 organizations nationwide that have given their "Endorsement for Enforcement."

Your hard work has helped bring the results quantified in a recent survey by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) which found that 19 million more Americans buckled up in 1998. If these Americans continue to use their seat belts, an estimated 1,500 lives could be saved each year. That’s why we are urging zero tolerance for unbuckled kids – and urge you to use every means at your disposal to get kids buckled up. Operation ABC Mobilization and the policy of zero tolerance are undoubtedly saving lives. Between 1996 when the Operation ABC Mobilization began and 1998, child fatalities in crashes decreased by 12.3 percent (Fatality Analysis Reporting System).

Preserving the health and safety of {CITIZENS OF THE STATE OR LOCALITY} is a priority for {ORGANIZATION}. {Provide a brief explanation of any work you are doing to promote child passenger safety}. Crashes are the leading cause of death to American children. Last year alone, more than {STATE FATALITIES} children died and {STATE INJURIES} were injured in {STATE} crashes. As many as {STATE UNBUCKLED FATALITIES} of the children who died were completely unrestrained.

It is time that we, as a nation, thank every law enforcement officer on duty for their unwavering focus on buckling up passengers – particularly children. On behalf of {ORGANIZATION}, we appreciate your leadership on this critical issue.

Sincerely,




{NAME}
{TITLE}

cc: {MAYOR / GOVERNOR / LEGISLATOR}