Mark Schlachtenhaufen
EDMOND — Don’t be a turkey: Buckle up every trip, every time
Holiday travel is expected to be heavy in Oklahoma as families head out for their holiday destinations, but failure to buckle up can turn a joyful holiday into a tragedy.
“Seat belts are the single most important safety device in your vehicle and they have saved countless lives and prevented untold numbers of injuries over the year,” said Alice Collinsworth, spokeswoman for the Oklahoma Highway Safety Office. “I urge everyone driving on our state’s roads this holiday season to drive carefully, don’t drive impaired, and most importantly, to buckle up.”
In Oklahoma last year, the holiday period ran from 6 p.m. Nov. 26 and ended at midnight on Nov. 30. During this time period, 587 crashes were reported in Oklahoma, 15 people were killed and 346 others were injured.
Law enforcement officers will be out across the state during the holiday to crack down on people who refuse to buckle their seat belt.
Collinsworth said the goal of the “Click It or Ticket” mobilization is to save lives.
The OHSO also recommends the following steps for safer Thanksgiving travel:
• If you see a drunk driver on the road, contact local law enforcement or dial *55 from any cell phone to reach the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.
• If alcohol is a part of your Thanksgiving celebration, plan ahead to have a designated driver who stays alcohol-free.
• Make sure every person in your vehicle wears a seat belt or appropriate child restraint.
For more information or to refer to the OHSO Thanksgiving holiday fact sheet, visit www.ohso.ok.gov. For more information, visit www.StopImpairedDriving.org.
Vandals hit Edmond high school
Vandals spray painted among other things gang-related words on several Edmond school buildings during the weekend, police said.
Both Edmond Memorial High School and a district building at 1125 E. Danforth Road were targeted by the vandals, according to reports filed by Officer Tim Harwell and Officer Steven Berry.
Mid-day Saturday, Harwell responded to the Memorial High School incident, and he was shown graffiti on several campus buildings by assistant superintendent Bret Towne. The locations included the south side of the auditorium, the Star building and the softball field, police said. Most of the graffiti was done with black paint, but green and brown also were used, police said.
In his narrative, Berry stated the graffiti at 1125 E. Danforth Road resembled gang graffiti.
A passer-by discovered the graffiti, and noticed two black males and one black female loitering around cars parked near the band area of the auditorium, police said. Most of the graffiti was located near this area.
The witness said because it was dark he could not describe the suspects any further and he did not recognize them, police said. Police said they were going to receive a copy of surveillance video.
Sheriff’s office checkpoint nets 26 arrests
The Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office conducted a sobriety checkpoint over the weekend, with saturation patrols from 10:30 p.m. Saturday until 3 a.m. Sunday.
The checkpoint was at 14701 N. May Ave. in Oklahoma City. Sheriff’s deputies logged 26 arrests — 16 DUIs, four warrant-related stops, four driving under suspension/driving under revocation/no valid driver’s license and two “other” arrests. Deputies also issued 70 citations, 61 warnings and impounded 27 vehicles.
Periodically throughout the year the sheriff’s office mans sobriety checkpoints.
