PR02-008

Date:

August 13, 2002

 
Sheriff’s Office “B.U.G.S.” Program Targets High School Students For Seat Belt Safety Education
 

The Fulton County Sheriff’s Office has partnered with the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety to educate teenagers of the consequences associated with driving unbuckled.  Beginning this month, trained instructors from the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office will deliver a strong, but important message to high school students, encouraging them to “buckle-up” each and every time they enter a vehicle.

Buckle-Up Georgia Students (B.U.G.S.) is a program created by the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office.  The program focuses on the importance of seat belt restraint use, and the tragedies that often occurs when teenagers fail to buckle-up.  The program is being offered to all high schools in the Atlanta and Fulton County School Systems.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the average speed in a fatal car crash is 35 miles per hour in urban communities, and 55 miles per hour in rural suburbs.  The deadliest time of the day for teen drivers are weekdays between the hours of 3:00 and 3:59 p.m.; a time when students normally travel home from school.

The B.U.G.S. program was developed for students in grades ten through twelve.  Students participating in B.U.G.S. receive educational information on seat belt safety, and a variety of buckle-up incentives.

For further information about the B.U.G.S. program, please contact Sergeant Clarence Huber at (404) 730-4148.  Sergeant Huber can also be reached on his digital pager at (404) 742-6798.