Major League Baseball Hits A Home Run With Traffic Safety.

Major League Baseball is hoping to help make it a record-breaking season. Record-breaking for safety belt use that is. MLB is teaming up with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and TEAM Coalition to unveil new in-stadium advertisements that will promote safety belt use to fans, a demographic that government statistics show are at greater risk of being injured or killed in a car crash.

“Fan safety in the ballpark has always been a top priority for MLB,” said Baseball Commissioner Allan H. (Bud) Selig. “We believe that this partnership with NHTSA and TEAM is an excellent program that emphasizes fans’ safety to and from the ballpark.”

Parking lots surrounding several MLB ballparks are sporting new Click It or Ticket signs and the words Buckle Up are freshly stenciled on the pavement. During games between May 24th and June 6th the Click It or Ticket public service announcement will play on the video boards of MLB ballparks reminding fans to buckle up.

Several MLB ballparks including Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Fenway Park in Boston, Coors Field in Denver, Comerica Park in Detroit, and Miller Park in Milwaukee will recognize “saved by the belt” survivors and law enforcement officers who are committed to strict enforcement efforts during the popular Memorial Day travel time.

NHTSA Administrator Jeff Runge said, “I commend Major League Baseball and all the clubs for taking a leadership role to promote Click It or Ticket. Just like a player would never face a 95 mph fastball without a helmet, no one should ever face road traffic without a safety belt. Safety belts save lives and are required safety gear on the road, every trip, every time.” NHTSA’s recently released 2003 preliminary national statistics show that a core demographic of sporting fans are at higher risk of being involved in an automobile crash. Annually, adult males under the age of 34 are most likely to be affected by automobile crashes on highways. Nationwide, more than 6,400 men in that age group are killed in crashes every year, and 72 percent of them typically do not buckle up.

The partnership developed through the TEAM Coalition whose members include both Major League Baseball and NHTSA. TEAM is an alliance of professional sports, entertainment facilities, concessionaires, the beer industry, broadcasters, governmental traffic safety experts, and others working together to promote responsible drinking, increased safety belt use and positive fan behavior at sports and entertainment facilities.

TEAM executive director Jill Pepper, said, “MLB is a great example of a professional sports league that prioritizes the safety and enjoyment of their fans’ experience through programs and policies that encourage responsible behavior. The Click It or Ticket message is a perfect compliment.”

A two-week national safety belt mobilization starts May 24, 2004 and continues through June 6, 2004. More than 300 Massachusetts law enforcement agencies will participate in the statewide enforcement campaign. To promote law enforcement’s efforts, a $30 million national advertising campaign is airing primarily on programs typically viewed by teen and young adult males such as – Major League Baseball games, NBA Conference Finals, NASCAR’s Coke 600, and the Indy 500.

TEAM’s membership includes Major League Baseball, National Basketball Association, National Football League, National Hockey League, ARAMARK, Beer Institute, Anheuser-Busch Companies, Miller Brewing Company, Coors Brewing Company, National Association of Broadcasters, International Association of Assembly Managers, ESPN/ABC Sports, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

For more information at http://www.teamcoalition.org