Traffic Safety Hits a Home Run at Fenway Park

Boston Red Sox Unveil New Campaign to Help Increase Safety Belt Use in Massachusetts

BOSTON, May 26 -- As part of the Click It or Ticket National Mobilization, the Boston Red Sox and Fenway Park unveiled new in-stadium advertisements that will promote safety belt use to fans, a demographic that government statistics show are at greater risk of being injured or killed in a car crash.

The Red Sox are teaming up with the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety, the TEAM Coalition and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to promote traffic safety and boost safety belt use to from its 2003 rate of 62%. As part of an on-field ceremony before tonight's game, Federal and State transportation officials recognized several local law enforcement officers whose tireless work enforcing safety belts laws have saved countless lives.

"This partnership is definitely one for the win column," said Edward Flynn, Secretary of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety. "As we head into summer, more families will be on the road, so we need to do all we can to inform people about the importance of seatbelts and child safety seats."

Thomas Foley, retiring Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police added, "Sporting events are an ideal venue for traffic safety messages because we want people to get safely to and from the event."

NHTSA Administrator Jeff Runge said, "I commend the State of Massachusetts, the Red Sox and Major League Baseball for teaming up to promote Click It or Ticket. Just like a player would never face a 95 mph fastball without a helmet, no one should ever face road traffic without a safety belt. Safety belts save lives and are required safety gear on the road, every trip, every time."

NHTSA's recently released 2003 preliminary national statistics show that a core demographic of sporting fans are at higher risk of being involved in an automobile crash. Annually, adult males under the age of 34 are most likely to be affected by automobile crashes on highways. Nationwide, more than 6,400 men in that age group are killed in crashes every year, and 72 percent of them typically do not buckle up.

The partnership developed through the TEAM Coalition whose members include both Major League Baseball and NHTSA. TEAM is an alliance of professional sports, entertainment facilities, concessionaires, the beer industry, broadcasters, governmental traffic safety experts, and others working together to promote responsible drinking, increased safety belt use and positive fan behavior at sports and entertainment facilities.

A two-week national safety belt mobilization starts May 24, 2004 and continues through June 6, 2004. More than 300 Massachusetts law enforcement agencies will participate in the statewide enforcement campaign. To promote law enforcement's efforts, a $30 million national advertising campaign is airing primarily on programs typically viewed by teen and young adult males such as -Major League Baseball games, NBA Conference Finals, NASCAR's Coke 600, and the Indy 500.

TEAM's membership includes Major League Baseball, National Basketball Association, National Football League, National Hockey League, ARAMARK, Beer Institute, Anheuser-Busch Companies, Miller Brewing Company, Coors Brewing Company, National Association of Broadcasters, International Association of Assembly Managers, ESPN/ABC Sports, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

For more information on the TEAM Coalition please log on to http://www.teamcoalition.org/