Buckle Up NWT campaign enters final stretch

Communiqués de presse

YELLOWKNIFE (July 10, 2013) – For one Northwest Territories community this September, being safer while driving will mean music to their ears.

Six communities – Tsiigehtchic, Hay River, Fort Simpson, Fort Resolution, Fort Smith and Norman Wells – are already in the running to win an exclusive concert starring Leela Gilday and Godson by having the highest percentage of seat belt use. As a further incentive, the fire department of the winning community will also receive $5,000. July 17 is the final day for municipal councils or community fire departments to enter their community in the contest.

Transportation Minister David Ramsay, who is responsible for the Drive Alive Program, says the Buckle Up NWT campaign highlights a way every resident can contribute to safe travel on NWT streets and highways. “We know a person is 13 times more likely to die in a motor vehicle collision if they aren’t wearing their seat belt,” he says. “Since most fatalities occur within 25 kilometres of a person’s home, a seat belt should be worn by every occupant of the vehicle, no matter how short the trip will be. It just makes good sense.”

Throughout the summer, Buckle Up NWT will be in the finalist communities monitoring seat belt use. The community with the highest rate of seatbelt use will win a concert with Juno award winner Leela Gilday and her band to be held September 7, 2013. An announcement of the winning community will be made in mid-August.

Seatbelt use in the communities of the Northwest Territories is the lowest in the country. Every year, there are two to three deaths in the NWT that could be prevented by proper seatbelt use. These deaths devastate our families, our friends, and our communities.

Buckle Up NWT has a simple message: Wear your seatbelt while driving, and require your passengers to do the same. Make sure children are properly restrained in car seats. You are responsible for your own safety and the safety of those in your vehicle.

Buckle Up NWT is an initiative of Drive Alive, the road safety information program of the Government of Northwest Territories. More information on how to be safe while on the roads and trails of the NWT is available at the Department of Transportation website.

For more information, contact:

Earl Blacklock
Manager of Public Affairs and Communications
Department of Transportation
Government of the Northwest Territories
Phone: 867-873-7712
Cell:       867-445-3494
e-mail: earl_blacklock@gov.nt.ca