By Alan Sorensen
If you plan on driving anywhere in Montana this holiday weekend, you'd be well advised to buckle up before pulling out.
That's the advice from Sgt. Greg Szudera, head of the Havre detachment of the Montana Highway Patrol.
"The highway patrol is participating in an ABC campaign, which stands for always buckle up children," Szudera said.
Szudera said the campaign began yesterday and will run through Nov. 28, which includes the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. He said every officer in the detachment will be on the road during the period keep an eye on motorists and their passengers.
"Our goal is to be highly visible and enforce the seat belt and children restraint laws," he said.
According to statistics, 56 percent of the motoring public were using seat belts n 1995. Through this mobilization, he said, it rose to 70 percent in December of 1998. From 60 percent in 1996, the children restraint usage rose to 87 percent in 1998.
"We are seeing that our tragedies in the state of Montana and serious injuries and fatalities are the end results of nonusage of child restraints and seat belts.
"We're going to be highly visible throughout the holiday period. We will have every available office out on the highway assisting the motoring public."
