LOUISA, Ky. ,August 23,2023 — Congratulations to LPD Ptl. Teddy Newsome on receiving this year’s Governors Occupant Protection Award for division 1 agencies.
This is the third consecutive year Ptl.Newsome has led LPD in the enforcement of seatbelt and child restraint citations.
“These officers, their departments and agencies render a great service for public safety by enforcing our occupant protection laws,” KOHS Executive Director Noelle Hunter said before presenting the awards. “It comes down to this: Officers would rather write a seat belt or car restraint citation than make a death notification.”
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), seat belts, when worn correctly, are proven to reduce the risk of fatal injuries to front-seat occupants by 45 percent – and by 60 percent in pickup trucks, SUVs and minivans. Also according to NHTSA, a properly installed, belt-positioning booster seat lowers the risk of injury to children by nearly 60 percent, compared with seat belts alone.
“We continue to see improvement, and I applaud Kentucky’s efforts to raise awareness and increase enforcement of this life-saving measure,” said Dr. Beth Baker, Regional Administrator for NHTSA. “Writing citations is not a strategy designed to increase arrests; in fact, it may yield in decreased citation counts over time, which is our goal.”
