The Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) will host 17 high schools from across the state for the "Buckle Up Shuffle Relay" Seat Belt Challenge Finals tomorrow. The Challenge, designed to help educate teen motorists about the importance of seat belt usage, kicks off the state's participation in the National Click It or Ticket It Enforcement Campaign.
As part of the Click It or Ticket It effort, RIDOT will join the rest of the country in mobilizing law enforcement agencies to encourage safety belt usage. The Department will provide federal grant funds to the Rhode Island State Police and all municipal police departments to support increased four-hour roving patrols from May 20 - June 2, 2013.
WHAT: In March 2013, Four-person teams from each participating high school competed against one another for the regional "Buckle Up Shuffle Relay" Seat Belt Challenge. Rules required each four-person team to "buckle up" in each position of a vehicle while being timed. Students enter a vehicle, properly buckle up, unbuckle, exit the vehicle and repeat the process for all four seating positions. As each team member is buckled up, the driver sounds the horn. Every time the horn sounds, team members move to the next seating position, repeating the process until all team members return to their original seats.
Schools from the five participating counties will compete against each other - with the winning "county" schools competing in the "Buckle Up Shuffle Relay" Seat Belt Challenge Finals. One champion team will be selected to win a $1,000 prize, courtesy of AAA of Southern New England and MADD-RI.
WHEN: Saturday, May 18, 2013 @ 10:00 a.m. Rain or shine
WHERE: RIDOT Midstate Maintenance Facility 2400 New London Turnpike, East Greenwich
PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS: Bristol/Warren, Central Falls, Chariho (Charlestown, Hopkinton, and Richmond), Coventry, Cranston East, Cranston West, Cumberland, La Salle Academy (Providence), Lincoln, Middletown, North Providence, Pilgrim (Warwick), The Prout School (South Kingstown), Rhode Island Nurses Institute Middle College (Providence), Shea (Pawtucket), Smithfield and Tiverton.
DIRECTIONS: Follow I-95 South to Exit 7 (Coventry/West Greenwich). Go to the end of the ramp, take a right, and then a right at the light into the parking lot for RIDOT's Midstate Maintenance Facility.
Contact: Rose Amoros (401) 222-1362, Ext. 4450