The New England Patriots and State Police Host "Summer Safety Blitz"
On Tuesday, June 30, 2009, the New England Patriots Pro Bowl kicker Stephen Gostkowski and Hall-of-Famer Andre Tippett gathered with State Police from the six New England States and New York at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough for “Summer Safety Blitz,” a family and media event aimed at promoting safe vacation travel. Participants emphasized the need to wear safety belts, obey speed limits, and refrain from drinking and driving.
The event kicked off with a State Police Sergeant Daniel Griffin reading to children and discussing child seat safety at CBS Scene at Patriot Place. Colonel Mark Delaney, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police, opened the media portion of the event, noting, “Our efforts this year in partnership with local law enforcement are paying off. Our drunk driving arrests for the first quarter of 2009 are up 3 percent compared to 2008 and for the same period the drunk driver related crashes are down 9 percent. Our efforts this summer with our local law enforcement partners and neighboring state police agencies will continue upon and improve this trend.”
Mary McGuire, director of legislative and public affairs for AAA of Southern New England, and Mary McNamara, president of the Massachusetts chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), spoke passionately about the importance of safe driving and the serious consequences of impaired driving.
Representatives from the other New England State Police agencies and the New York State Police also stressed this unified highway safety message. Tippett thanked the State Police for their highway safety efforts and urged motorists to drive safely.
Marked and unmarked cruisers and motorcycles from the various State Police agencies, as well as the Massachusetts State Police Department’s two 40-foot long Breath Alcohol Testing mobiles (BAT Mobiles, for short), were on display for the pubic to view. Among those who toured the BAT Mobiles were Gostkowski, Tippett and Patriots linebacker Jerod Mayo.
The New England Patriots, Patriot Place, AAA, MADD and State Police from New England and New York were pleased with the opportunity to get a unified "Summer Safety Blitz" message out to the motoring public.