Congratulations to the 2021 Williams County “Buckle Up Bowl” winner! Bryan High School is a double winner with the “Highest Seat Belt Usage” with a final seat belt usage rate of 94.7 %, and the “Most Improved” with a beginning rate of 83.4 % and an ending rate of 94.7 %.
Edgerton High School was second for “Highest Seat Belt Usage” at 87.7 %. Overall, the seat belt use average percentage during Buckle Up Bowl 2021 for all the schools increased from 82.2 % to 83.7 % which was a 1.8 % change.
Williams County Safe Communities would like to thank all seven high schools for their participation in the Buckle Up Bowl 2021 competition.
The Buckle Up Bowl 2021 began March 1st due to a one-week weather delay with all seven high schools in Williams County participating. Through the leadership of each school’s student advisor, student groups from each school promoted seat belt usage in each of their schools during the contest.
Poster making, raffles, seat belt trivia contests, seat belt checks, public announcements and utilizing educational materials provided by Williams County Safe Communities were some ways that seat belt use was promoted.
The goal of the Buckle Up Bowl 2021 was to increase seat belt use among high school students. In addition to seat belt safety awareness education, Buckle Up Bowl 2021 provided positive reinforcement through offering incentives for consistent use of seat belts.
Area businesses provided local support to the competition through donated gift certificates, coupons and other items that were used as seat belt use incentives for each school.
A pre-contest observational survey of seat belt was conducted in February by members of the Safe Communities Coalition.
The Buckle Up Bowl promotion lasted from March 1 to May 7, 2021 and concluded with a post-contest observational survey of seat belt use by the coalition.
Williams County Safe Communities Coalition members and school resource officers help to conduct the seat belt surveys at each participation school.
The school with the highest average seatbelt usage and most improved seat belt use were then presented with an award trophy.
In Williams County the seat belt usage rate is at 89.7 percent. Nationally Seat belt use in 2019 reached 90.7 percent. Wearing a seat belt is the single most effective way to reduce fatalities and injuries in motor vehicle crashes.
Research has found that lap/shoulder seat belts, when used, reduce the risk of fatal injury to front-seat passenger car occupants by 45 percent and the risk of moderate-to-critical injury by 50 percent. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
During the May 24- June 6, 2021 Click It or Ticket Mobilization, law enforcement officers nationwide will enforce seat belt laws through high visibility enforcement with zero-tolerance seat belt enforcement activities.
The goal is to save lives by getting everyone to buckle up. Buckle Up Bowl 2021 and the Click It or Ticket campaign work together to promote the life-saving benefit of wearing a seat belt.