In light of recent car crashes that resulted in the deaths of local high school students, City Commissioner Todd Chase penned a letter this week to his fellow commissioners as well as to members of the Alachua County School Board and the Alachua County Commission regarding the need to redouble efforts to impress upon students the importance of wearing their seat belts.
“Regardless of the reasons for the crashes, the fact that none of them were searing seat belts tells me that this is an urgent problem that needs to be addressed immediately,” Chase wrote in an email to other local officials. “In my experience in the Navy when you have such tragic events happen so closely together it calls for immediate action and response.”
He urged the School Board to take action quickly and to ask for any help they may need from the city and county commissions as well as the Gainesville Police Department and the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office. He wrote it was obvious to him that an immediate message and a renewed education effort would be valuable.
“I know from my personal experience that kids who normally wear seat belts still from time to time will jump in the back seat and not wear one or cram into a car without enough seats not thinking of the possible consequences,” he wrote. “We can all do the best job we can as parents, but I intend on using my position as an elected official to spread the message that we all know, which is SEAT BELTS SAVE LIVES.”
School Board member Leanetta McNealy replied to Chase’s email this week, saying each of the students’ deaths is a tragedy and a devastating loss to their families and the community. She proposed that all schools, elementary and secondary, could do something similar to “Red Ribbon Week,” which raises awareness about the risks of drug use, in order to address driving safety issues.
Fellow School Board member April Griffin also suggested having a “Click it or Ticket” week at the local high schools and having the deputies on campus write warnings to remind students about wearing their seat belts, while GPD Chief Tony Jones informed Chase via email that he had asked a couple members of the police department to work on coming up with a seat belt message and to coordinate with other local agencies.
Here’s Chase’s email in full:
“Dear SBAC Board Members, Fellow City Commissioners, and Alachua County Commission, I am reaching out to you not only as a Gainesville City Commissioner, but as a concerned and heartbroken parent of three Buchholz High School students over the recent deaths of young high school students from Buchholz and Williston High (part of Levy County but a close neighbor) as well as a recent graduate of Newberry High School. In all three cases it has been reported that none of these drivers were wearing their seat belts.
Regardless of the reasons for the crashes, the fact that none of them were wearing seat belts tells me that this is an urgent problem that needs to be addressed immediately. In my experience in the Navy when you have such tragic events happen so closely together it calls for immediate action and response. I recall times where the entire United States Navy would “stand down” for a day or even just an hour to discuss an important safety issue, this was an even more common experience for those of us in the aviation community. In my opinion this warrants a similar response.
As the Board with direct contact and oversight of all of the students in Alachua County, I am urging the School Board to take such action immediately working with the Superintendent and ask for any help that you need from both the City and County Commissions, GPD, and ASO. It is obvious to me that that an immediate message on this as well as a renewed education effort on all of our parts would be valuable.
I know from my personal experience that kids who normally wear seat belts still from time to time will jump in the back seat and not wear one or cram into a car without enough seats not thinking of the possible consequences. We can all do the best job we can as parents, but I intend on using my position as an elected official to spread the message that we all know, which is SEAT BELTS SAVE LIVES. Thank you for your attention and consideration in this urgent matter.”