CHP and NHP Team Up to Reduce Deaths on Road to Vegas.

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 27, 1999--

The California Highway Patrol (CHP) and the Nevada Highway Patrol (NHP) are launching a new enforcement and education program targeting Vegas-bound motorists who are not wearing safety belts.

The new campaign Operation Safe Bet is focused on a 120-mile stretch of I-15 between Barstow and the Nevada State line.

What makes this effort unique is the partnership formed by the two law enforcement agencies. "The NHP is as concerned as we are with the number of motorists who are killed and injured every day on this corridor," said CHP Inland division chief Alex Jones.

In 1998 there were 943 crashes on I-15 between Barstow and State line. In those crashes, 46 people were killed and another 816 were injured. "So far this year, 38 have lost their lives on I-15. Of the 38 killed, 30 were not wearing their seat belts," said Jones. "Clearly these 30 people chose to continue gambling even after they left Las Vegas."

Concerned about the number of motorists not buckling up, CHP and NHP officials are working to get the message to every motorist. "We're even enlisting the help of the casinos," says NHP public affairs officer Scott Flabi. The gaming and hotel industry has agreed to hang posters and run public service announcements with the `buckle up' message. "It's important we deliver the message where the people are, and that's the casinos," he added.

A popular weekend getaway thousands of people make the trek to Las Vegas from San Diego, Los Angeles, Orange and other surrounding counties. Operation Safe Bet campaign kicks off just in time for the Labor Day holiday, which traditionally brings with it a significant increase in highway traffic as people take off for that last summer getaway.