Congratulations to the 2016 Williams County “Buckle Up Bowl” winners! Hilltop High School won the “Highest Seatbelt Usage” award as this year’s Champion with a final seat belt usage rate of 87.1 percent and Bryan High School won the “Most Improved” award with a beginning rate of 64.8 percent and ending rate of 82.4 percent which was a 27.2% change. Williams County Safe Communities would like to thank all seven high schools for their participation in the 2016 Buckle Up Bowl competition.
Overall the Buckle Up Bowl seat belt usage percentage for all seven schools combined increased from 71.2 % to 82.9 % comparing the pre and post surveys which is a 16.4 % increase change. In Williams County the seat belt usage rate for all vehicle operators is 89.1% which is just above the national and state rate of 88%. There is still much more to do to keep our roadways safer especially for young adults. Wearing a seat belt is the single most effective way to reduce fatalities in motor vehicle crashes.
The Buckle Up Bowl 2016 with all seven schools in Williams County participating began in February. Through the leadership of each school’s student advisor, student groups from each school worked to promote seat belt use in each of their schools during the Buckle Up Bowl 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 is to increase seat belt use among high school students. In addition to seat belt use safety awareness education, the Buckle Up Bowl provides positive reinforcement through offering incentives for consistent use of seat belts. Area businesses donate gift certificates, coupons and other items to be used as 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 Feb 22 to May 6, 2016 with a post-contest observational survey of seat belt use by the coalition in May. The schools with the highest average seatbelt use and most improved seat belt use are presented with an award trophy.
Funding for the Buckle Up Bowl program is made possible through the Safe Communities grant provided by the U.S. Department of Transportation and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Teen drivers are at increased risk due to inexperience behind the wheel and risk taking behaviors such as speeding and distracted driving. The goal of Williams County Safe Communities is to help save lives by promoting traffic safety throughout the lifespan.
The Buckle Up Bowl seat belt use education awareness program is followed up with enforcement when our young drivers are out on the road. The message is Click It or Ticket. During the May 16–June 5, 2016 Click It or Ticket enforcement mobilization, law enforcement officers nationwide enforce seat belt laws by conducting seat belt checkpoints and zero-tolerance seat belt enforcement activities. The goal is to save lives by getting everyone to buckle up.
The Message is simple: Click It or Ticket. The Buckle Up Bowl and the Click It or Ticket campaign work together to promote the life-saving benefits of seat belts to high school students and all drivers out on our roadways.
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