New NHTSA Administrator Kicks Off Fall 'Click It or Ticket'

         Dr. Jeff Runge of Charlotte Makes First Official Visit to NC
                       To Remind Motorists to Buckle Up

    RALEIGH, N.C., Aug. 27 The new administrator of the
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) today credited North
Carolina for establishing a high-visibility enforcement and public education
model that helped eight southeastern states increase seat belt use last
spring.

    "North Carolina hears the lifesaving seat belt message loud and clear,"
said Dr. Jeff Runge of Charlotte, who made his first official visit back to
North Carolina to launch the fall "Click It or Ticket" campaign in Durham.
"This state has the best seat belt use rate in the region, and because that
rate jumped even higher after the last 'Click It or Ticket' campaign, more
lives of our friends, neighbors and families will be saved."

    North Carolina was the model for the southeast regional "Click It or
Ticket" initiative, which led to a 9 percent increase among eight states.
North Carolina's use rate for drivers increased to 83.6 percent, one of the
highest rates in the nation.

    Runge, a trauma physician and former director of the Carolinas Center for
Injury Prevention and Control, was selected by President George W. Bush to
head NHTSA.  He was sworn in on August 3.  He was joined at this morning's
statewide event by Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue, Don Nail, acting director of the
Governor's Highway Safety Program, and Barbara Crocker, a Durham mother who
was behind the wheel when her unrestrained 9-year-old died in a traffic crash.

    Flanked by law enforcement officers from across the state, Perdue warned
motorists that officers would conduct checkpoints and stepped-up patrols
during "Click It or Ticket," which continues through Sept. 16.  Officers and
local safety advocates also will conduct free child passenger safety clinics
to help families use safety seats.

    "There is nothing more important than saving lives and preventing
injuries, especially among our youngest motorists," Perdue said.  "We must do
all we can to help families and others who travel with children understand
that everyone must use age-appropriate restraints on each and every trip."

    While North Carolina seat belt surveys showed increases statewide, the
highest belt use was reported in the Coast and Piedmont regions, at 87.2 and
85.1 percent, respectively.  The Mountain region had the lowest rate at 77.6
percent.  Passengers seated in the right front position, however, are not
buckling up at the same high rate as drivers.  Statewide, just 79.1 percent of
right front passengers use appropriate restraints.

    Surveys are conducted in 17 North Carolina counties under guidelines set
by NHTSA.  Catawba County recorded the highest use rate with 92.8 percent.
The lowest use rate was reported in Richmond County, where just 76.1 percent
of drivers were restrained.

    Child passenger safety clinics also are a key component of the campaign
and will be available to families and caregivers in communities across the
state.  Barbara Crocker of Durham urged drivers to insist that child
passengers always use appropriate restraints.  In February 2000, her
unrestrained 9-year-old daughter, Jessi, died when Crocker lost control of her
vehicle.

    "It is truly one of the most horrible things to have to live with.  The
trooper who came to the crash said she probably would have had a few minor
scratches if she had her seat belt on," Crocker said.  "I just wanted to shout
from rooftops, to tell everybody in the world not to do what I did."

    Since "Click It or Ticket" began in 1993, North Carolina's seat belt use
rate has jumped from 65 percent to the current high of nearly 84 percent.  As
a result, fatal and serious injuries have declined by 14 percent, and more
than $135 million has been saved in health care-related costs.

                     Fall "Click It or Ticket" Media Tour

    Seat belt checkpoints and child passenger safety clinics for Week 1 of the
fall "Click It or Ticket" campaign are listed below.  GHSP Acting Director Don
Nail will be available at all listed events.  Additional events will follow in
(Week 2) Winston-Salem, Lenoir, Asheville, Shelby, Charlotte, Albemarle,
Rockingham, Fayetteville, and (Week 3) Raleigh, High Point, Hickory,
Lincolnton, Statesville and Archdale.  For information about these activities,
contact GHSP Public Information Officer Jill Warren Lucas or Special Events
Coordinator Shannon Bullock at 919-733-3083.  To learn more about other "Click
It or Ticket" activities, contact law enforcement agencies in your area.

    Monday, August 27

    Durham: 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.
    2700 block of North Duke Street
    Contact: Sgt. James Clearly, 919-560-4314

    Wilmington: 4-5 p.m.
    5300 block of Oleander Drive
    Contact: Sgt. George Perkins, 910-343-3683

    Tuesday, August 28

    Jacksonville: 10-11 a.m.
    Henderson Drive Extension
    Contact: Sgt. Paul Harrington, 910-455-4000

    Kinston: 4-5 p.m.
    Hwy. 11 near Cunningham Road
    Contact: Sgt. Ronnie Sutton, 252-939-3160

    Wednesday, August 29

    Greenville: 10-11 a.m.
    Elm Street at the Elm Street Gym
    Contact: Sgt. Phil Worthington, 252-329-4597

    Nags Head: 4-5 p.m.
    St. Andrews By-the-Sea Church at Mile Post 13
    Contact: Sgt. Ricky Cutrell, 252-261-3895

    Thursday, August 30

    NC/Virgina State Line: 10 a.m.-12 noon
    State line on Hwy. 17
    Contact: Sgt. M.B. Miller, 252-331-4749

    Roanoke Rapids: 4-5 p.m.
    Old Farm Road Extension at NC 125
    Contact: Chief Ernest Bobbitt, 252-533-2816

    Watch for weekly news releases regarding the success of the "Click It or
Ticket" campaign.