The Battle of the Belts, a statewide program to encourage young drivers and passengers to wear their seatbelts, is back at Steinbrenner this year. Here at Steinbrenner, Ms. Haskell has been running the program with our student senate for 8 years.
“The goal of the program is to get people to be mindful of wearing their seatbelts,” said Ms. Haskel. While it may seem like an annoyance, wearing your seatbelt may be the difference between life and death.
In fact, 50% of teen drivers who died in 2022 were not wearing their seatbelts according to the NHTSA (the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration). This is because wearing your seatbelt prevents you from being ejected from the vehicle in the event of a crash and protects you from being harmed by the airbag.
The students from our senate promote this message in many ways, including creating social media posts on Instagram. These posts often include fun themes while keeping the same important message of wearing your seatbelt. Our senate has also been seen passing out candy during lunches while dressed up as crash dummies, generating attention from our students.
Ms. Haskell counts kids that are leaving the campus and whether they are wearing seatbelts or not,” said Deputy Bennett, our school resource officer. This helps them gauge how effective the program was.
Fortunately, students are often wearing their seatbelts during these checks, however, Bennett believes there is another issue at play. “I think things have kind of changed, transitioning from people who are wearing seatbelts to putting their phone down and not texting and driving,” said Bennett.
According to the NHTSA, cell phone use is the most common distraction on the road. The Battle of the Belts serves as a reminder for our student body to practice safe driving while being a fun event for students to look forward to each year. This program teaches teens to be mindful of wearing their seatbelts, as by simply buckling up and putting the phone down, you may prevent a tragic accident from going from bad to worse.
