“Click It Or Ticket Campaign Launched”

RALEIGH — N.C. Department of Transportation Secretary Conti announced today the launch of a state-wide “Click It or Ticket” campaign to crack down on motorists who are not wearing their seat belts. State and local law enforcement officers will increase seat belt enforcement activities during the campaign, which runs May 23-June 5.
“This life-saving campaign reminds us to buckle up, every trip, every time,” said Conti. “Wearing a seat belt no matter where you are seated in a vehicle is the law in North Carolina, so I remind all citizens to Click it or Ticket.”
Regular seat belt use is the single most effective way to protect people and reduce fatalities in motor vehicle crashes. In 2010, 425 unbuckled motorists died in North Carolina.
In 2010, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that North Carolina’s seat belt usage rate was 89.7 percent. The state’s usage rate was 65 percent when the program started 18 years ago.
“Click It or Ticket” is administered by the N.C. Governor’s Highway Safety Program. GHSP will sponsor “Click It or Ticket” nights at the following minor league baseball parks across the state during the campaign to raise awareness about the importance of buckling up:

Friday, May 20 at 7:05 p.m.
Durham Bulls, Durham

Friday, May 27 at 7:15 p.m.
Carolina Mudcats, Zebulon

Friday, June 3 at 7 p.m.
Greensboro Grasshoppers, Greensboro

Saturday, June 25 at 7 p.m.
Hickory Crawdads, Hickory

Saturday, July 16 at 7:15 p.m.
Charlotte Knights, Charlotte

For more information regarding “Click It or Ticket” activities, contact Don Nail (919) 733-3083, or visit the GHSP website.

Are You Prepared For The Next Storm?

With the recent number of severe weather occurrences and the storm season just beginning, we wanted to give you a few useful reminders of things you should keep in mind when preparing for the next storm.

• During any storm, listen to local news or a NOAAWeather Radio to stay informed about watches and warnings.



• Know your community’s warning system. Communities have different ways of warning residents about tornadoes, with many having sirens intended for outdoor warning purposes.



• Pick a safe room in your home where household members and pets may gather during a tornado. This should be a basement, storm cellar or an interior room on the lowest floor with no windows.



• Practice periodic tornado drills so that everyone knows what to do if a tornado is approaching.



• Consider having your safe room reinforced. Plans for reinforcing an interior room to provide better protection can be found on the FEMA Web site at http://www.fema.gov/plan/prevent/rms/rmsp453.shtm.



• Prepare for high winds by removing diseased and damaged limbs from trees.



• Move or secure lawn furniture, trash cans, hanging plants or anything else that can be picked up by the wind and become a projectile.



• Watch for tornado danger signs:
  • Dark, often greenish clouds—a phenomenon caused by hail
  •Wall cloud—an isolated lowering of the base of a thunderstorm
  • Cloud of debris
  • Large hail
  • Funnel cloud—a visible rotating extension of the cloud base
  • Roaring noise

SOURCE: http://www.redcross.org