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Greetings!
Over the holidays I ran into a person who I know as a reliable belt wearer. Safety first--both for her and her kids, and there's never a question about whether belts are required in her car. When she admitted to me that the reason she always buckles up is that she learned the hard way in an unbelted crash, I was truly surprised that she had ever been someone who would go without a belt.
A few days later I received a Saved By the Belt story from Rose White at AAA Nebraska. Her motherly nagging had paid dividends. Her son had been saved by his safety belt in a rollover crash between Des Moines and Omaha on treacherous roads caused by the extreme weather we've been experiencing. Ironically, he had just safely returned from Iraq which is dangerous in many ways. But he experienced the greatest threat to his life while driving the last 50 miles to return home.
These 2 examples illustrate the two most common changers of behavior when it comes to wearing safety belts. People tend to either learn the hard way or they receive many reminders from somewhere. This may be considered nagging, or possibly just effective communication.
Since we're trying to avoid lessons learned through crashes--even though it's very effective, let's go with reminders and communication. Thanks to all of you for the reminders you provide, the communication you promote, and your interest in getting Nebraskans and everyone to buckle up. The few seconds it takes to buckle a belt can save a life.
Cherie Ferber
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10 New Year's Ideas for Safety Belt Promotion!
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| - Here's an easy one. Always wear your belt and make sure everyone in your vehicle is wearing a belt.
- Does the newspaper in your town always include information about whether a belt was used in articles about crashes? Promote sharing this information.
- Make sure that safety belt information is a prominent part of your company or school's wellness program.
- Invite Click It to events in your town, your school, your company. Click It's egg crash display visited a variety of locations throughout Nebraska in 2009. Or, we have a ramp we can loan you if you're interested in breaking some eggs yourself.
- Do you have a parking lot that needs a safety belt reminder stenciled at the exit?
- Does the high school in your town participate in our Come Home Safe program? They might win $1000! And better yet, they might save the life of a young person.
- Do you know of anywhere you can distribute air fresheners?
- Wear a Click It Don't Risk lapel pin. You can get one from Click It, and maybe it's the reminder that someone you know needs.
- Submit your Saved by the Belt story to Click It! We're interested in how you or a loved one were saved by that simple safety belt restraint.
- Schedule a Safety Belt Honor Roll project for your company or group!
Send your great ideas and things you've done to cidri@safenebrask.org Send us a picture if you have one!
And don't forget that we need prom pictures! This is going to be the best prom poster ever, but we need your help!
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| Raising the Bar on the Honor Roll
| Wow--Nebraska safety belt use is up to 85%! This is outstanding! Nebraska crash fatality rates are generally dropping and while some of the credit for that goes to safer cars and safer roads, it is undeniable that some of the credit goes to a higher belt use rate. Because safety belt use is up, it's also time to raise the bar on the Safety Belt Honor Roll. Beginning now, in January of 2010, your observation rates must be 90% or higher at both of your scheduled observations. We still require 2 observations at least 30 days apart, but to be included in the Click It--Don't Risk It Honor Roll, both of those observations must document at least 90% belt use by everyone you observe. Try it  ! Are your employees or group members as safe as you think they are? If yes, your group is eligible to receive a Click It Honor Roll certificate signed by Governor Dave Heineman and you'll be invited to a proclamation ceremony at the State Capitol. Certificates can certainly be mailed if you're unable to attend. Didn't quite make 90%? It's time for some seat belt education, or maybe even a few pointed reminders, and you can try the observation again. |
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The "Click It Chronicle," our Click It Campaign e-letter, published whenever there is news, is available to all those interested in increasing safety belt usage. Please share this information freely. Take the information, copy to friends, businesses and organizations with the same concerns. Using the information provided will help reduce the needless fatalities and injuries on our highways and the associated costs. To subscribe to this e-letter, join the coalition, or be removed from the list, contact the Click It Team at cidri@safenebraska.org. |
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