![Kentucky Launches Operation Crash Reduction](http://townsquare.media/site/76/files/2020/10/highway.jpg?w=980&q=75)
Kentucky Launches Operation Crash Reduction
How long have we been texting now? What is it, like about 15 years? Probably more? Anyway, it never ceases to amaze me what I see while I'm driving.
You'd think, by now, that "no texting and driving" would have been drummed into our heads by now. But it was just a couple of days ago that a driver (who was texting) sort of swerved toward me into my lane. Nothing happened, but, good Lord, we've all been over this a million times.
Did you know that Kentucky is part of a region designated by the Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that sees some of the nation's highest traffic death numbers?
In addition to the Bluegrass State, Region 3 includes Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia.
This region is the focus of Operation Crash Reduction (OCR), a campaign that runs October 9th through October 12th.
And while I fired a shot across the bow at texting while driving (which DOES lead to a great many traffic accidents), OCR's primary focus during this four-day period will be seat belt usage.
It will be a high-visibility campaign conducted by law enforcement, according to a press release issued by the Kentucky Office of Highway Safety.
From 2014 through 2018, this region had 882 fatal accidents in a two-week period from October 1st through October 15th. That's 63 a day, a ghastly number.
In more than 45 percent of these fatalities, the vehicle's occupants were unrestrained.
And it seems October--and, specifically, the first two weeks of the month--is the deadliest month for vehicle crashes in these states and the District of Columbia.
So please buckle up. You know, I have been driving for 38 years and never once have I gotten into a vehicle without fastening my seat belt. And I started driving before it became law.
And if a seat belt is worn correctly, according to the NHTSA, the risk of a fatality shrinks by 45 percent for front-seat passengers and 60 percent for occupants of pickup trucks, SUVs, and minivans.
Buckle up, Kentucky. It's the smart and safe thing to do.
![WBKR-FM logo](https://townsquare.media/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/WBKRFM.png?w=100)
UP NEXT: See how much gasoline cost the year you started driving
More From WBKR-FM
![New Kentucky Laws for 2024 Go Into Effect July 15th](http://townsquare.media/site/76/files/2024/07/attachment-new-ky-laws-2024.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![This Is Considered Kentucky’s Most Dangerous Highway](http://townsquare.media/site/76/files/2024/04/attachment-Untitled-design-2024-04-01T114844.037.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Book Your Airplane and Helicopter Rides for the 2024 Owensboro Air Show](http://townsquare.media/site/76/files/2024/07/attachment-airplane-wow.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Kentucky Man Shares His Life-Changing ‘Olympic’ Experience in Greece](http://townsquare.media/site/76/files/2024/07/attachment-141.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Score Big Savings: Must-Visit Yard Sales & Garage Sales This Weekend | 7/26 – 7/27](http://townsquare.media/site/76/files/2024/07/attachment-726-727.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Remembering Dakota Rager: Memorial Poker Run Returns to Muhlenberg County, Kentucky](http://townsquare.media/site/76/files/2024/06/attachment-Untitled-design485.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![That’s a Mighty Big Lollipop and It’s Only 5.5 Hours From Owensboro](http://townsquare.media/site/76/files/2024/07/attachment-dum-dum-tower-.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Auto Lovers Unite! Huge Car Show Roars Into Daviess County, Kentucky](http://townsquare.media/site/76/files/2023/08/attachment-Whitesville.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Discover Amazing Bargains: Your Guide To Weekend Yard Sales | 7/19 – 7/20](http://townsquare.media/site/76/files/2023/09/attachment-WHISPERING-MEADOWS1.jpg?w=980&q=75)