Teens Nationwide Invited to Join "Seat Belts Save Challenge"

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 7, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- National Organizations for Youth Safety (NOYS), with The National Road Safety Foundation and the Gillian Sabet Memorial Foundation, invite teens in high schools nationwide to buckle up in the 5^th annual Seat Belts Save Challenge.  The Seat Belts Save Challenge, open now, encourages increased seat belt usage among young people who are at heightened risk from death or injury in traffic crashes because of their low belt usage rate. In 2016, more than half of teen drivers killed in crashes and more than 60% of teen passengers killed in crashes were not wearing seat belts.

The Seat Belts Save Challenge offers a $1,500 prize in each of three categories: best overall campaign, greatest improvement in seat belt usage, and highest seat belt use rate.  The challenge is documented by an unannounced seat belt check before a school's campaign, followed by another after students have executed a four-week education campaign in their schools.

The deadline for schools to register is Nov. 1, and seat belt checks and local education campaigns must be completed by Dec. 1.  Final reports must be submitted by Dec. 15 and winners will be announced in April, 2019.  Information and rules are available at https://noys.org/about-us/our-programs/seat-belts-save/

"Getting young people to understand the life-saving importance of buckling up is an ongoing challenge," said April Rai, CEO of NOYS.  "The Seat Belts Save Challenge encourages high school students to share the importance of seat belt use with their peers and in their community."

"We look forward to seeing how young people harness their creativity to help spread the important seat belt message to their peers," said Michelle Anderson of The National Road Safety Foundation.

Students at Caldwell High School in Caldwell, Tex., won $1,500 for a comprehensive public awareness campaign last year that brought the student body's seat belt usage to 91 percent.  Batavia High School in Batavia, Ohio, won for the highest seat belt rate, achieving an almost-perfect usage rate of 99 percent.  Students at Wallace Junior/Senior High School in Wallace, Idaho, won for the greatest seat belt use increase, up 60 percent.

National Organizations for Youth Safety (NOYS) was originally founded in 1995 as the Traffic Safety Collaboration supported by funding from government agencies, including the Department of Transportation. In 2005, NOYS became a 501(c)(3) organization and incorporated as National Organizations for Youth Safety. With over 100 organizational members - youth-serving nonprofits, businesses and government agencies, NOYS works collectively to address the most prevalent causes of injury and death among teens and young adults in the US. Learn more at  www.NOYS.org.

The National Road Safety Foundation, Inc. (NRSF), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded more than 55 years ago, produces traffic safety programs on distracted driving, speed and aggression, impaired driving, drowsy driving, driver proficiency, pedestrian safety, and other safety issues. It distributes free programs to schools, police, and traffic safety advocates, community groups and individuals and sponsors contests to engage teens in promoting safe driving to their peers and their communities. For information or to download free programs, visit www.teenlane.org.

Media Contact:  David Reich 
212 573-6000  [email protected]

SOURCE The National Road Safety Foundation