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Issue: # 2010019July 27, 2010
Click It--Don't Risk It Chronicle
In This Issue
Vince and Larry Hit the Smithsonian!
Encore!
Quick Links
Greetings!
We all know that there are many reasons for crashes.  They range from driver error to road safety problems to weather to errors by other drivers.  At the end of the day though, surviving a crash depends less on what caused it and more on whether the vehicle occupant was wearing their safety belt.

In this recent story in the Des Moines Register, this teenager was texting at the time of the crash.  We assume that the conflict of attention between driving and texting contributed to the crash.  The teen died, and the story's emphasis is on cell phone use and texting and how those distractions cause crashes.  

However, the story also makes the point that the driver was not wearing a safety belt.  We do not know if she would have survived given all the same circumstances but with the addition of a safety belt.  While the texting aspect of the situation is very important, maybe this teen would have survived this unfortunate crash if she had been belted.

read the story


Vince and Larry Hit the Smithsonian!
Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation is donating a number of "Vince and Larry" crash-test dummy costumes and related auto safety items to the Smithsonian Institution.
North Carolina Vince and Larry
"We learned a lot from Vince and Larry about the importance of buckling up," said Secretary LaHood. "They are a part of American culture and became household names while educating the public on seat belt use. Their message still holds true today."

Vince and Larry are the names of 2 talking crash test dummy personalities.  Those personalities were used in Public Service Announcements beginning in 1985 to get the word out about safety belt usage. Spots featuring the two aired on television and radio and also ran in magazines.

At a ceremony on July 14, NHTSA Administrator David Strickland formally transferred the "Vince and Larry" memorabilia to the Smithsonian.

"The Vince and Larry ads, along with our high-visibility enforcement campaign Click It or Ticket, have proved tremendously helpful in building public awareness of seat belt use," said Administrator Strickland. "As a result, today, a record high of 84 percent of Americans buckle up." 

Read Secretary LaHood's comments about Vince and Larry

Vince and Larry Costumes are available for your use at your health fairs in Nebraska.  What reiterates a healthy lifestyle more than safety belts?  And what symbolizes safety belts more than Vince and Larry?

Borrow Vince and Larry costumes from the Nebraska DMV

Encore!
It's not too often that a video about safety belts goes viral and makes the email rounds around the Internet.  While we first published the link to this video in the February 4 Chronicle, some people have not seen it yet.  It's so good that if you haven't seen it, you should take a look.

Check out this short video--it's a refreshing change from the usual blood and trauma that accompany safety belt promotion.

Join the viral movement and send this to your friends--it's a strong message about why safety belts are so important.  It's also a beautiful PSA.
 
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.