Colorado State Patrol to Join Largest-Ever Buckle Up Campaign
18 May 1998
Colorado State Patrol and Law Enforcement Agencies Statewide To Join the Largest-Ever Nationally Coordinated Effort to Buckle Up ChildrenIn All 50 States Officers Mobilize Against The Leading Cause of Death to Children Coordinated by the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) more than 50 municipal police and sheriff's departments and the Colorado State Patrol will join more than 4,000 law enforcement agencies across the country in an unparalleled effort to protect children -- Operation ABC '98: Mobilizing America to Buckle Up Children. Tens of thousands of officers from all 50 states will conduct high-visibility enforcement of child passenger safety laws throughout Buckle Up America Week, May 18-25. CDOT's participation in Operation ABC '98 will be officially announced at a news event on Tuesday, May 19. Local officers and the state patrol will be on hand to launch this week- long enforcement effort to save children's lives. Media "ride-alongs" can be scheduled throughout the week and holiday weekend. Traffic crashes are the leading cause of death to children in the U.S. With summer highway travel expected to set a record this year, this effort to get children buckled up is more important than ever. WHAT: * Media Event to Kick Off Local Participation in Operation ABC '98 -- A 50-State Enforcement Effort to Buckle Up Children WHO: * Gail Schoettler, Lt. Governor * Janet Dewey, Executive Director, Air Bag & Seat Belt Safety Campaign * Operation C.A.R.E. representative * Col. Lonnie Westphal, Chief of the Colorado State Patrol WHERE: * McNichols Sports Arena, parking lot WHEN: * Tuesday, May 19 at 10:00 a.m., (MT) B-Roll Available: Feed Date: May 18. Time: 3-3:30 p.m. EDT (c-band) Galaxy 4, transponder 7 out of Conus downlink freq. 3840 h.; May 19. Time: 1:30-2 p.m. EDT (c-band) Galaxy 9, transponder 1 out of NY downlink freq. 3740 v.; May 20. Time: 10:30-11 a.m. EDT (c-band) Galaxy 4, transponder 11 out of NY downlink freq. 3920 h. Operation ABC '98 is sponsored by the Air Bag & Seat Belt Safety Campaign, in partnership with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the U.S. Department of Transportation's Buckle Up America Campaign. CONTACT: Susan Denzer, 202-338-8700 or Mairi Nelson, 303-202-0383, both for the Air Bag Safety Campaign.