UB Police Kick Off Seat Belt Awareness Campaign

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The University at Buffalo Police Department has begun its annual Seat Belt Awareness campaign to promote safety this holiday season.

For the next two weeks, campus police will be stopping cars periodically on the North and South campuses to hand out flyers and candy canes, and to remind drivers of the importance of buckling their seatbelts.

"Every holiday break we have students involved in some type of accident," says UB Police Chief Gerald Schoenle. "Each year we distribute flyers as a reminder to students to drive safely when they're heading home for the holidays. Wearing seatbelts definitely saves lives."

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports an estimated 13,250 lives were saved nationwide by seatbelt usage in 2008. Four hundred and forty-seven of those lives were in New York State.

The flyers also remind members of the campus community that jogging, hiking and biking should be done with friends for safety.

For more information, contact the UB Police Department at 716-645-2227, or visit their Web site, http://upolice.buffalo.edu.