Caledonia Argus

CHS seatbelt challenge a great success

Posted: 1/8/02

Last year, 103,591 traffic crashes occurred in Minnesota. This resulted in 44,740 injuries and 625 deaths. Driving may be one of the most dangerous things you do, and wearing a seat belt is one way to be safer.

Thanks to a grant from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety and to the ongoing partnership between Caledonia High School and Houston County Public Health, a seat belt challenge was implemented at the high school. The seat belt challenge consisted of a month-long campaign to raise awareness and educate about the importance of wearing seat belts. The seat belt challenge at the Caledonia High School took place during the month of October and many students worked hard on the planning and implementation of this event.

The event was kicked-off with students doing a random seat belt check in the morning before school started. Activities included crash test dummies Vince and Larry appearing to hand out toe tags, bulletin boards at the school were designed, younger kids were involved in a poster contest, water bottles and key chains with a buckle up message were also distributed. The culminating event was another random seat belt check done in the morning before school to see if the percentage of teen drivers wearing their seat belts had increased since the first survey was done. The end survey showed almost a 15% increase in the number of teens wearing their seat belts.

Caledonia High School was given the award for ìBest Campaign.î This was an exciting project as it let youth be involved in planning activities in their school.

Research has found that wearing a seat belt during a crash is the most effective measure a person can take to survive a crash and prevent serious injury. A seat belt challenge serves as a program that can be successful in educating teens and motivating them to buckle up.

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