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“Many of the responses have been shock, and some folks began crying. The optimistic interactions go a good distance with officers, and we hope with members of the group too.”
As a substitute of visitors tickets, the Tewksbury Police Division determined to unfold some cheer this vacation season by giving out $25 Walmart reward playing cards.
“We needed to do one thing to create optimistic interactions with folks,” mentioned Lt. Patrick Connor, who orchestrated the concept, in a statement from the department. “This was vital for us as a result of we’re all the time coping with folks in a adverse mild or once they’re having severe points, or when we’ve to offer them tickets.”
Walmart in Tewksbury donated $100 value of reward playing cards to the hassle, and the Tewksbury Police Affiliation contributed $300 to buy a complete of 16 $25 reward playing cards which have been then distributed to officers who gave them out throughout stops for minor infractions.
“We pulled these vehicles over and talked with the drivers about their vacation buying, after which on the finish, we suggested them of the violation we stopped them for, and as a substitute of giving them a quotation we gave them a present card,” Connor mentioned. “Many of the responses have been shock, and some folks began crying. The optimistic interactions go a good distance with officers, and we hope with members of the group too.”
The entire reward playing cards have been distributed.
“Secure driving is vitally vital as we work to forestall tragedies over the vacation season, however we additionally perceive that visitors stops will be disturbing for group members, particularly if they will’t afford to pay in the course of the vacation season,” mentioned Chief Ryan M. Columbus. “All of us on the Tewksbury Police Division hope this effort brings cheer to the group, whereas additionally offering a memorable reminder of the significance of driving safely.”
The Tewksbury Police Division additionally shared the next ideas from the Nationwide Freeway Visitors Security Administration for protected vacation driving:
- Journey at a protected velocity. Velocity impacts your security even if you end up driving on the velocity restrict however too quick for street situations, similar to throughout dangerous climate, when a street is underneath restore, or in an space at night time that isn’t effectively lit. For greater than 20 years, rushing has been concerned in roughly one-third of all motorized vehicle fatalities.
- Don’t drive distracted. Take note of the street. Texting is essentially the most alarming distraction. Sending or studying a textual content takes your eyes off the street for a minimum of 5 seconds. At 55 mph, that’s like driving the size of a complete soccer subject along with your eyes closed. Teenagers are the most important age group reported as distracted on the time of deadly crashes.
- Put on a seat belt and put on it correctly. The easy act of buckling your seat belt will increase your probability of surviving a crash. In 2017 alone, seat belts saved 14,955 lives. But when everybody had worn seat belts on each journey that yr, 2,549 extra lives might have been saved.
- Make certain youngsters are buckled in the best seats for his or her ages and sizes. Since 1975, 11,606 youngsters ages 4 and underneath have been saved by youngster restraints. There have been 325 youngsters saved in 2017 alone.
- Drive Sober. Designate a sober driver should you plan to drink. In 2017, there have been 10,874 fatalities in motorized vehicle visitors crashes involving drivers legally drunk. These deaths are 100-percent preventable.
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