Dalton High School's prom was held over the weekend, and Catamount students got a reminder about staying safe on the roadways from the Dalton Police Department beforehand. Officers from the DPD Traffic Unit were posted at the exits to Dalton High on Wednesday and Thursday afternoon to remind drivers to stay focused on the road, avoid drinking and driving, and to wear their safety belts not just on the way to and from prom, but every day.
Every year teen drivers account for nearly 5,000 traffic deaths, making traffic crashes the leading cause of death for the age group between 16 and 20. That number surpasses homicide, suicide and cancer combined. Statistics show that almost 70% of teenagers killed in car crashes were not wearing their safety belt and distracted driving accounted for another 16% of traffic crash deaths.
On Wednesday, Dalton Police Department partnered with Dalton's Chick-fil-A restaurants and Dalton High School to reward teen drivers that were wearing their safety belt as they left school with a coupon to items at the local Chic-fil-a store on West Walnut Ave. On Thursday, officers from the traffic enforcement unit passed out “Don’t Text and Drive” thumb bands to remind teen drivers of the dangers of texting and driving.
Below: (left to right) Officer Woody Cantrell from the DPD Traffic Unit hands a Dalton High student a "Don't TXT and Drive" thumb band reminder; The "Don't TXT and Drive" thumb band; A Chick-fil-A gift card provided to students wearing their seat belts; Sue DiDonato form Chick-fil-A poses with Officer Cantrell at Dalton High
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