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PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
At
this time, Texas is one of only 16 states plus the District of Columbia,
with a primary seat belt law, an indication of its strong commitment
to traffic safety. Seat belt use in Texas during 1997 was 78 percent,
considerably greater than the national average of 69 percent. In an
effort to increase seat belt use throughout Texas, the Region 6 Office
of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) formed
a partnership with the Texas Association of Student Councils (TASC)
and the Texas Education Agency, in 1998, to promote the Buckle Up
America! campaign in high schools statewide.
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
During 1998, staff from
the Drugs, Alcohol, Safety and Health Issues (DASH) Program of the Texas
Education Agency participated in a Buckle Up America! kickoff
event. DASH encourages schools to focus on driver and traffic safety
projects, providing leadership and information. Information and materials
from the Buckle Up America! campaign were presented to the TASC
for use in the state's 2000 junior and senior high schools. Buckle
Up America! allows students to become directly involved by selecting
specific issues of interest to the individual schools. Student councils
can then develop their own programs encouraging seat belt use among
their fellow students.
STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES
Buckle
Up America! Action Kits were provided to each of the schools interested
in setting up the campaign. These kits include campaign strategies,
partnership information, NHTSA regional contacts, fact sheets, tools
for initiating the programs, sample public service announcement, press
releases, ad slicks and proclamations. Region 6 staff members are also
available to consult with each school about the development of their
individual safety projects, and to answer any questions they may have.
A variety of
projects were conceived by the students including:
- Dum-Dum
lollipops with stickers reading "I'm not a Dum-Dum—I wear my safety
belt!" were distributed to the student body
- Seat belt
sign-up pledge cards reading "I promise to wear my seat belt for a
full year" were signed by students during lunch, and total sign-ups
announced at the end of each day
- On Valentine's
Day, "If You Love Someone" candy hearts and specially designed flyers
were distributed during lunch periods
- Operation
Trash Bag—Trash bags containing bumper stickers, flyers, pens, buttons
and other safety items were hung on the door handles of all cars in
the school parking lot. Safety messages were also printed on the outside
of each bag
- Have
a Safe Spring Break—Special stickers, posters, handouts and book
covers were provided by the Texas Coalition for Safety Belts, and
distributed to students the week before Spring Break
- Posters
that read: "Save your ugly face; Buckle Up", to remind students to
wear seat belts, were hung in school hallways
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