Governor’s Office of Highway Safety
NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JUNE 20, 2005
For more information:
Jim Shuler, GOHS Public Affairs Director
404-656-6996 or 888-420-0767
jshuler@gohs.state.ga.us
City of Milledgeville Part of Nationwide Campaign to Buckle-Up Drivers
CITY OF MILLEDGEVILLE HONORED AS
NATIONAL “BUCKLE UP AMERICA” WINNER
(MILLEDGEVILLE, GA) The City of Milledgeville was honored today by the Director of
the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety (GOHS) for its leadership in the nationwide
occupant safety effort called “Buckle Up America”. GOHS Director Bob Dallas
recognized Milledgeville Mayor Floyd Griffin for his exceptional community efforts to
save lives and prevent injuries on Georgia’s highways. “Motor vehicle crashes are still
the leading cause of death for teenagers and young adults in America,” said GOHS
Director Dallas. “We congratulate Mayor Griffin for bringing the “Buckle Up America”
program to Milledgeville to save the lives of these young drivers and passengers at-risk.”
Earlier this year, Milledgeville was distinguished as one of only six nationwide Buckle Up
America winners recognized at the National Conference of Black Mayors Annual
Convention in Columbus, Ohio. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA) has been working in partnership with the National Conference of Black Mayors
to establish the Buckle Up America, Mayors Challenge Competition to educate citizens
on the importance of wearing safety belts and saving lives. Milledgeville, Georgia won
for Category IV Cities, which includes communities with a population of 15-to-35thousand.
The competition judges said the Milledgeville entry “clearly reflected the leadership of
Milledgeville Mayor Floyd L. Griffin, Jr.’ s office.” The ratings panel said the leadership
reflected from Milledgeville City Hall was especially evidenced by the coalition from the
business sector, civic groups, government agencies and the Baldwin County School
System that planned and worked several events from June through December to reach
an estimated 100-thousand people there with the safety belt message.
The Milledgeville program was structured around concepts of awareness, education and
enforcement. The public awareness phase of the Milledgeville Mayor’s Seat Belt
Challenge was kicked off with a public announcement made by the Mayor at a City
Council meeting, followed by a mayoral proclamation of “Buckle Up America Week,” and
later included a safety belt education booth staffed by police officers at a local State
University business expo.
Milledgeville used child-friendly Halloween safety events at the mall, school coloring
book contests and a Junior Police Academy.. all aimed at local elementary school
students to help target students with safety belt education messages. Community
businesses provided awards and prizes and local news media provided coverage.
Governor’s Office of Highway Safety
34 Peachtree Street—Suite 1600—One Park Tower—Atlanta, Georgia 30303
Visit us on the web at www.georgiahighwaysafety.org
Sonny Perdue, Governor
Robert F. Dallas, Director
Governor’s Office of Highway Safety
(PAGE TWO)
For the enforcement element of their program, the City of Milledgeville Police
Department worked with the Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway Safety Regional
Traffic Enforcement Network, participating in the 100 Days of Summer HEAT speed
enforcement and Click It Or Ticket Mobilizations.
Milledgeville Police called their local Click It Or Ticket traffic checkpoint the ‘Mayor’s
Seat Belt Challenge Roadblock.’ “High visibility enforcement like the Click It Or Ticket
campaign is a proven method increase safety belt use and prevent needless fatalities,”
said GOHS Director Dallas. “And yet, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration, 59-percent of passenger vehicle occupants killed in crashes nationwide,
weren’t wearing their seatbelts. The City of Milledgeville is truly using some unique
strategy to increase safety belt use here.”
The Mayor’s campaign received additional points when the judge’s panel learned that
Milledgeville City Administrative Policies now mandate the use of safety belts by all
drivers and their passengers in all city-owned vehicles. The judges called Milledgeville’s
entry in the Mayor’s Challenge to Buckle Up America “..An excellent first effort.. Mayor
Griffin’s leadership ensured that this campaign was more than a law enforcement driven
activity..”
“Car crashes remain the No.1 killer of kids, age two-to-fourteen and “Buckle Up
America” efforts are making a measurable difference here,” said GOHS Director Dallas.
Results from a safety belt survey conducted in Milledgeville before and after Mayor
Griffin’s campaign showed that safety belt use rose nearly twenty-percent during the
period. Child safety seat use also increased by two thirds, from just over 55-percent, to
93-percent.
“The work being done by the Mayor, Police Department and citizens of Milledgeville
during “Buckle Up America” is truly among the most important civic duties they can
perform,” said Director Dallas. The Milledgeville Buckle Up America campaign won a
six-thousand-dollar cash incentive award as a national winner of the Mayor’s Challenge
from the National Conference of Black Mayors.
(END RELEASE)
Governor’s Office of Highway Safety
34 Peachtree Street—Suite 1600—One Park Tower—Atlanta, Georgia 30303
Visit us on the web at www.georgiahighwaysafety.org
Sonny Perdue, Governor
Robert F. Dallas, Director