DARLINGTON - Drivers will continue to see extra patrol units on duty throughout the months of August and September, as the Darlington Police Department is nearing the end of its involvement in the statewide seatbelt safety campaign.
Since November, officers have been paying heightened attention to seat-belt use in the city through education, encouragement, and enforcement - all of those efforts thanks to a special federal grant.
Darlington was targeted by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation for use of this seatbelt safety grant in 2010 and 2011, in part, as a result of two traffic fatalities within the city limits during a ten month period in 2008 and 2009.
On Thanksgiving morning 2008, a 74-year-old Scales Mound man was killed in a crash on Galena Street; and on September 22, 2009, a 53-year-old Darlington man was killed in a crash on Center Hill Road.
Lack of proper seatbelt use was a contributing factor in both fatalities. Prior to these crashes, there had never been a vehicle occupant killed in a traffic crash within the city limits of Darlington, according to Chief Jason King.
Both fatalities occurred in the city in speed zones of only 25 mph, which police said demonstrates the importance of buckling up at all times.
Those who make that choice risk being stopped as a result of the increased patrol presence and issued a citation, said King.
Since November, officers have been paying heightened attention to seat-belt use in the city through education, encouragement, and enforcement - all of those efforts thanks to a special federal grant.
Darlington was targeted by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation for use of this seatbelt safety grant in 2010 and 2011, in part, as a result of two traffic fatalities within the city limits during a ten month period in 2008 and 2009.
On Thanksgiving morning 2008, a 74-year-old Scales Mound man was killed in a crash on Galena Street; and on September 22, 2009, a 53-year-old Darlington man was killed in a crash on Center Hill Road.
Lack of proper seatbelt use was a contributing factor in both fatalities. Prior to these crashes, there had never been a vehicle occupant killed in a traffic crash within the city limits of Darlington, according to Chief Jason King.
Both fatalities occurred in the city in speed zones of only 25 mph, which police said demonstrates the importance of buckling up at all times.
Those who make that choice risk being stopped as a result of the increased patrol presence and issued a citation, said King.