Throughout March, the Red Deer RCMP traffic unit and Community Peace Officers (CPOs) operated a number of campaigns targeting the correct use of occupant restraints, which have been proven time and again to reduce injury in collisions and to save lives. The campaigns were part of a larger provincial traffic focus, and resulted in Red Deer RCMP and CPOs issuing a total of 78 tickets to people who were not wearing occupant restraints or were using them in an unsafe manner.
Red Deer RCMP and CPOs kicked off their occupant restraint awareness work by hosting a free car seat inspection event on March 10th in the north Canadian Tire parking lot, and were pleased to facilitate the inspection of 42 car seats that day. Police officers and CPOs further welcomed the opportunity to connect with the public and answer a wide variety of traffic questions.
“The proper use of seatbelts and child safety seats is the law because it’s the most effective way to protect your loved ones and reduce injury and death in a collision,” said Sgt. Kevin Halwa of the Red Deer RCMP traffic unit. “We were glad to see so many people take advantage of the free car seat inspection event – licensed car seat inspectors were able to verify the safety of 42 car seats that day. That’s a lot of peace of mind for parents and caregivers.”
According to Alberta Transportation numbers from 2015, individuals wearing a restraint during a collision had a lower injury rate (6.8%), compared to those who did not use restraints (22.4%) Not only does the likelihood of sustaining an injury decrease with the use of restraints, but so does the severity of the injury.
“Overall, seat belt compliance in the city of Red Deer is fairly high, though we always want to see 100% compliance,” said Halwa. “With the April focus on speed, we do expect to see more tickets issued, as speed remains – unfortunately – a concern in Red Deer.”
Red Deer RCMP and CPOs will target speeders throughout the month of April in a variety of ways, through regular patrols and through monitoring spots known for speeding issues.
-Submitted by Red Deer RCMP
