North Dakota Deptartment of Transportation and McDonald's get North Dakota to Buckle Up!

North Dakota Department of Transportation and McDonald's get North Dakota to Buckle Up!

Wearing a seat belt might not make you a millionaire in the McDonald's new scratch game, but it could earn you a juicy Big Mac, or any other large McDonald's sandwich. McDonald's and the North Dakota Department of Transportation (NDDOT) are teaming up during Buckle Up America! Week May 21-28 to reward motorists for using their seat belts.

Buckle Up America! Week is part of the NDDOT's "Do Buckle, Don't Booze" campaign designed to increase seat belt use and decrease impaired driving. "Throughout May 21-28, North Dakota Highway Patrol and law enforcement officers will reward motorists for buckling up with a coupon for any large sandwich redeemable at area McDonald's restaurants," explains Bill O'Keefe, of McDonald's, new statewide sponsor of Buckle Up America! Week and the "Do Buckle, Don't Booze" campaign.

Officers will hand out coupons when they stop motorists for traffic offenses. To receive a coupon, the motorist must be buckled up and not have consumed alcohol. One thousand coupons will be rewarded throughout the state during the Buckle Up America blitz. Participating McDonald's restaurants include: Fargo, Grand Forks, Bismarck, Minot, Wahpeton, Jamestown, Devils Lake, Williston, and Dickinson.

Nationally, seat belts are credited with saving 123,213 lives from 1975 to 1999. "This year alone, North Dakota has lost 25 people to car crashes," said Marsha M. Lembke, Director of the NDDOT's Drivers License and Traffic Safety Division. "Many may have been saved had they been wearing their seat belts."

According to Lembke, strong law enforcement and public education are critical to increasing seat belt use and decreasing impaired driving across the state.

"We welcome McDonald's support and encourage North Dakota communities to observe Buckle Up America! Week - every week. McDonald's and the North Dakota Department of Transportation love to see you smile!" she said.