New capaign puts safety first

DAWN DE BUSK

Frontiersman reporter

MAT-SU - This spring, signs reminding drivers to buckle up will be multiplying along state highways, along roads traveling into Mat-Su Borough cities, and in business parking lots.

"Anytime you heighten awareness, it makes people remember to buckle up," said Wasilla Police Chief Don Savage. "A little peer pressure is always helpful."

These signs are part of a statewide program that happens every year around Memorial Day. The program tries to get people into the habit of buckling up, with the hope of decreasing the number of deaths that occur when a person is ejected from a vehicle during a crash, according to Don Smith, Alaska Highway Safety Office administrator.

Smith heads a $400,000 campaign to increase law enforcement, distribute "click it or ticket" signs, and run TV and radio advertisements.

Drivers pulled over during a routine traffic stop can be fined $15 for not wearing a seat belt.

"That's not really heavy-handed," Smith said. "If a police officer drives by and he sees a couple of little guys bouncing up and down in the car, you'd be in big trouble." Unbuckled children draw a fine of $50 for each child, he said.

Although police may not legally pull over adults who aren't wearing seat belts, law enforcement officers may legally stop vehicles if children inside aren't wearing seat belts.

Most state lawmakers view additional seat-belt signs as an appropriate mechanism for promoting safer driving habits.

The House and the Senate voted unanimously to approve a bill that would erect roadside signs - designed to honor lives lost in automobile accidents and remind people to drive safely - at sites where a death occurred because the person wasn't buckled up. On May 12, Gov. Frank Murkowski signed that bill, which will go into effect Aug. 10.

"If we can dramatize the issue by putting up signs, it might cause someone to think, 'Someone died here,' and buckle up. That one little moment might save someone's life," said Rep. Vic Kohring, R-District 14, who supported the bill.

Sen. Charlie Huggins, R-District H, also voted for the signs bill.

"I wear my seat belt. My kids wear seat belts," he said.

The seat-belt advertising bill, introduced by Sen. Ben Stevens, R-District N, will allow the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities to begin installing and maintaining those signs along state highways late this summer. The dark-blue road signs will memorialize the name of the person who was killed not wearing a seat belt and will say "Please Drive Safely."

"I think Ben was trying to do the right thing. People put up memorials for a family member," Smith said, adding that the many wreaths and crosses placed at crash sites can distract drivers on the road. It would be rude to ask family member not to place flowers there, he said, and the sign commemorates the loved one's life.

The "click it or ticket" campaign Smith spearheads receives 100-percent funding from the federal government, he said.

"We've had large street signs manufactured. They say: 'Buckle up. It's the law.' About 90 are going up around the state. They'll stay up on the highways for years," Smith said.

In addition, 125 4-by-3 signs saying 'Seat belts must be worn in Alaska' in white reflective letters and 'Click it or ticket!' will be divvied up between cities around the state, Smith said. About 15 signs were mailed to the cities of Houston, Wasilla and Palmer.

"Four signs showed up in my office," said Wasilla Public Works Maintenance Supervisor Tony Leoni. "Then a grant application showed up on my desk."

Leoni said that if he posts the signs, takes pictures of them, and turns in the photos with the application, the Alaska Highway Safety Office will reimburse the city for $1,000.

"These signs are huge. We need two posts per sign. With these Valley winds, the signs would get blown down with just one post," Leoni said.

He said he likes the idea of posting one of the signs along the road as people leave the Wasilla Multi-Use Sports Complex, but he's still wondering where to put the other three signs. He plans to get a couple of Public Works employees to put up the signs next week.

The highway safety department also created 3-by-2 signs, similar to political-campaign signs people place on their lawns. Those have been distributed to businesses to put in employee and customer parking lots, Smith said. So many businesses have shown interest that Smith is printing up more signs.

"So while you're paying your electric bill, you'll see the sign in the parking lot, and you'll remember to buckle up before you drive away," Smith said.

Contact Dawn De Busk at 352-2252, or dawn.debusk@

frontiersman.com.