High school students remind people to buckle up

We all know seat belts save lives by preventing drivers and passengers from being ejected during a crash.

And yet, people still don’t buckle up.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, people not wearing a seat belt are 30 times more likely to be ejected from a vehicle during a crash.

More than three out of four people who are ejected in a fatal crash die from their injuries.

Two high schools in Idaho received top honors and cash prizes.

Shelley High School’s Key Club participated in a nationwide contest, “Seat Belts Save Challenge.”

Shelley won for greatest improvement in seat belt usage and Nampa High School won for best overall seat belt education.

A cash prize of $1,500 was awarded to both schools.

All 650 students at Shelley High School made a pledge to wear their seat belts.

Drivers education teacher Royce Murdoch said this campaign has raised awareness of the importance of seat belts.

“These students jumped in with their hearts, we had an array of activities and assemblies,” said Murdock.

Key Club members took a tally of how many drivers leaving and entering their school didn’t wear a seat belt.

They held an assembly where the Shelley Fire Department brought over the Jaws of Life, a tool used to free people from mangled cars and burning or collapsed buildings.

Students got to see the reality associated with not wearing a seat belt said Shelley Fire Chief Mike Carter.

“What happens when a car rolls over, most of the time, it ejects the person out. If they don’t have seat belt on, there’s no chance of living.”

The club will use the money to make signs to put around campus to remind students to wear their seat belts.

One student said putting on your seat belt is so easy.

“Takes like three seconds, you just sit in your car put your seat belt, turn on your radio and you just go. It doesn’t take that long,” said Kylee Ball.

“Its very important, how high the rate of people who die from not wearing a seat belt,”said Shad Foster.

According to Sherry Jenkins, Office of Highway Safety, in 2014 eight young drivers were killed in Idaho. Only two of the drivers were wearing seat belts.

The National Organizations for Youth Safety with support from the National Roadway Safety Foundation and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration organized the competition.