Over the next few days, the Benton Police Department is giving away pens that contain USB drives built in to them to every student in the Benton School District from the 8th through the 12th grade. In addition to being a functional pen, each one of them has a detachable 2 GB USB flash drive built into it.
Every USB drive has permanent records stored on them with information about seat belt usage and injury rates in Arkansas along with an official letter from Chief Kirk Lane about the purpose of this project. These pen/flash drives were purchased as part of the grant funded Buckle Up and Help Save Benton Campaign launched in May.
The Buckle Up and Help Save Benton campaign was part of a grant awarded through the Arkansas Association of Chiefs of Police (AACP) which was awarded $75,000 for Combined Occupant Protection and Speed Mini Grants from the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Division of State Associations of Chiefs of Police (SACOP), in partnership with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The grants awards were based on various proposals police departments submitted to enhance local law enforcement in promoting seat belt usage through innovative programs and enforcement crackdowns
The Benton Police Department wanted to find a way to educate teenagers about the importance of wearing a seat belt, especially since motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death in Arkansas for young adults 16-20. In 2009, 56 percent of young adults 16-20 years old involved in fatal accidents were unbuckled, and that’s a number we’re trying to reduce in the community.
The idea of giving them a pen/flash drive was two pronged because it gives them something functional to use on a daily basis and they are now required to have a USB drive for their school work and it helps provide it to those that might not be able to acquire one.
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