In late 2013, we initiated our first Seat Belt Challenge. We did an unannounced, anonymous safety survey at four local high schools. We counted the number of people (including parents) who were wearing their seat belts – as well as those not wearing seat belts.

These results were reported to each school, along with an invitation to participate in this challenge. All four schools accepted the challenge and began implementation of the program at their schools.

Each school chose or assigned a student group to head up their efforts. Their job is to find creative ways to educate and encourage their peers about vehicle safety and increase the use of seat belts. We met with each group to brainstorm about topics and ideas for their school.

We offered three $500 awards to the schools, based on the following criteria:

  1. The school with the highest seat belt usage at the spring observation.
  2. The school with the biggest improvement in seat belt usage, from the fall to spring observations.
  3. The school that produces the winning PSA (Public Service Announcement). The winning PSA will also be aired on Comcast in our local area.

Please consider donating for this cause. We know that our efforts are working; we hear from students who are buckling up because they’ve heard our story. Your generosity can have a significant impact on the safety of the teens in our community!

And the Winner Is…

The winning public service announcement was produced by students at Berthoud High School! Congratulations!! This video will air on Comcast in northern Colorado from June 1-15, 2014.

The other two components of the contest have also been won by Berthoud High School. While all four schools improved seat belt usage, Berthoud had a usage rate of 84.6% with an improvement of 16.8%! Wow! Congratulations!