From Tatum Ridge SRO Sgt. Harold Sicks

September 2, 2005                                                                  

             Welcome to Tatum Ridge Elementary School Safety Hot Line.  In each issue I will be bringing you information or safety tips that you can share with your family and friends.

            I would like to introduce you to a safety hotline.  The Florida Sheriff’s Task Force, the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office, and the Sarasota County School Board sponsor this BE BRAVE hotline.  BE BRAVE stands for Better Education By Reporting All Violence Early.

            The toll free number is 1-877-7BE-BRAVE or 1-877-723-2728.  The Sheriff’s Office Communication Center will be answering calls, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.  The callers will remain anonymous and will not be required to identify themselves in order to give information.  All information will be forwarded to the appropriate school and law enforcement department, who will investigate and take any necessary action.

            If you have information of anything that is taking place in your school, neighborhood, or community, please call it in.  We are confident that by offering this hotline students, parents, and citizens will use the hotline to prevent actions with potentially tragic outcomes.

            I would like to remind you that we need to make our children aware, not scared, of issues in life.  As a father, sometimes it is difficult to tell my daughter everything and scare her badly, or just make her aware of her surroundings and make her feel comfortable.

            Please remind your children about the “Stranger Danger” rules; not every person is a “bad” stranger, to always wear a bike helmet, and to be buckled up while the vehicle is moving.

            I see many children not wearing a seatbelt as they come into the parent pick-up area.  Parents, your child must wear a seat belt while the car is moving, that is the law!  Your child’s safety come first.

           Safety Belts (Taken from your Florida Driving Handbook)

The driver and front seat passengers must wear seat belts. The seat belt law applies to passenger cars manufactured beginning with the 1968 model year, and trucks beginning with the 1972 model year. It is unlawful for any person to operate a vehicle in this state unless every passenger of the vehicle under the age of 18 years of age is restrained by a safety belt or by a child restrain device, regardless of seating position.

·                                 If the passenger is 18 years of age or older and fails to wear a seat belt when required by law, the passenger will be charged with the violation.

In a crash, you are far more likely to be killed if you are not wearing a safety belt. Wearing shoulder belts and lap belts make your chances of living through a crash twice as good.

In a crash, safety belts:

·                                 Keep you from being thrown from the vehicle. The risk of death is five times greater if you are thrown from a vehicle in a crash.

·                                 Keep you from being thrown against others in the vehicle.

·                                 Keep the driver behind the wheel, where he or she can control the vehicle.

·                                 Keep you from being thrown against parts of your vehicle, such as the steering wheel or windshield.

SAFETY BELTS SAVE LIVES!

Wear a lap belt around your hips, not your stomach. Fasten the belt snugly. Wear a shoulder belt only with a lap belt. Don’t just use your safety belt for long trips or high-speed highways. More than half of the crashes that cause injury or death happen at speeds less than 40 MPH and within 25 miles from home.

            Please keep your child safe!

 I would like to remind parents of the following traffic laws for your safety, your child (ren’s) safety and our guests on this campus.  These are taken from our state traffic laws;

316.614  Safety belt usage.-- (1)  This section may be cited as the "Florida Safety Belt Law." (2)  It is the policy of this state that enactment of this section is intended to be compatible with the continued support by the state for federal safety standards requiring automatic crash protection, and the enactment of this section should not be used in any manner to rescind or delay the implementation of the federal automatic crash protection system requirements of Federal Motor Safety Standard 208 as set forth in S4.1.2.1 thereof, as entered on July 17, 1984, for new cars.

(3)  As used in this section:

(a)  "Motor vehicle" means a motor vehicle as defined in s. 316.003 that is operated on the roadways, streets, and highways of this state.

(b)  "Safety belt" means a seat belt assembly that meets the requirements established under Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 208, 49 C.F.R. s. 571.208.

(c)  "Restrained by a safety belt" means being restricted by an appropriately adjusted safety belt which is properly fastened at all times when a motor vehicle is in motion.

(4)  It is unlawful for any person:

(a)  To operate a motor vehicle in this state unless each passenger and the operator of the vehicle under the age of 18 years are restrained by a safety belt or by a child restraint device pursuant to s. 316.613, if applicable; or

(b)  To operate a motor vehicle in this state unless the person is restrained by a safety belt.

(5)  It is unlawful for any person 18 years of age or older to be a passenger in the front seat of a motor vehicle unless such person is restrained by a safety belt when the vehicle is in motion.

(b)  The number of front seat passengers of a pickup truck required to wear a safety belt pursuant to this section shall not exceed the number of safety belts which were installed in the front seat of such pickup truck by the manufacturer

(7)  It is the intent of the Legislature that all state, county, and local law enforcement agencies, safety councils, and public school systems, in recognition of the fatalities and injuries attributed to unrestrained occupancy of motor vehicles, shall conduct a continuing safety and public awareness campaign as to the magnitude of the problem and adopt programs designed to encourage compliance with the safety belt usage requirements of this section.

            I have noticed many parents driving vehicles and backing them into parking spots.  We have had several minor scrapes in our parking lots.  Please pull your car all the way into a parking space, turn off your car, and pick up your child.  The lots are very busy during the morning drop off and afternoon pickup times.  We do not want any child or adult hit or to hold up the flow of traffic.

            316.1985  Limitations on backing.--

(1)  The driver of a vehicle shall not back the same direction unless such movement can be made with safety and without interfering with other traffic.

Finally I have seen some parents who have left their children in their vehicles while the engine is running or even not.  Please don’t do this, a child may get curious and want to “drive like Mommy or Daddy”!

 316.6135  Leaving children unattended or unsupervised in motor vehicle; penalty; authority of law enforcement officer.--

(1)  No parent, legal guardian, or other person responsible for a child younger than 6 years of age shall leave such child unattended or unsupervised in a motor vehicle for a period in excess of 15 minutes; however, no such person shall leave a child unattended for any period of time if the motor of the vehicle is running or the health of the child is in danger. 

The Staff and I want our campus to be safe while you are here.  If there is anything that I can do to be of service to you as your School Resource Officer, please let me know.

 By Sgt. Sicks

927-4190