Maj. Wayne

Hannah of the Fayette County Sheriff's Department has been named the recipient

of a prestigious national award for his efforts to promote traffic safety.

Hannah, a 25-year

veteran of the department, will receive the J. Stannard Baker Award for

Traffic Safety at the National Sheriff's Association conference in June.

He beat out 13 other candidates nominated by sheriffs across the country.

In a letter

nominating Hannah, Sheriff Randall Johnson said he could think of no single

individual more deserving of this award than Hannah.

"Major

Hannah is committed to providing a safe environment for all those who

drive and occupy motor vehicles in our community," Johnson wrote.

"His dedication to duty and concern for our citizens and guests is

evident in every aspect of his duty performance. Those deputies who serve

with him share that same commitment."

Hannah said

he thought the award reflected well not just on him, but on the traffic

enforcement division, the Sheriff's Department and citizens of Fayette

County.

"It's

an honor, no doubt," Hannah said.

Under Hannah's

direction, the 11-member traffic enforcement division of the FCSD has

achieved a 92 percent seat belt usage rate, the highest in all of Georgia.

The state average seat belt usage rate is 68 percent.

The traffic

enforcement division doesn't just write speeding tickets and investigate

accidents. They also follow up on traffic complaints from the public and

participate in several operations designed to increase seat belt usage.

Traffic deputies

also conduct child safety seat inspections and educational programs such

as defensive driving and the alcohol and drug awareness program that's

taught at each high school in the county.

Hannah himself

is also an instructor in Operation Lifesaver's railroad grade crossing

incident course, which focuses on traffic crashes that occur at railroad

crossings. He also was one of the first Child Safety Seat Technicians

in Georgia to be certified by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Hannah also

played a role in obtaining a laser crash measurement system that reduced

the time to investigate a major crash scene by several hours.

This is not

the first accolade for the FCSD's traffic enforcement division. Its efforts

have garnered national and statewide recognition for efforts to promote

traffic safety in Georgia.

The J. Stannard

Baker Award for Traffic Safety is given to individuals who have made outstanding

contributions to traffic safety.

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