Safety campaign encourages 16- to 20-year-olds to buckle up

• By KIMBERLY VETTER
• Advocate staff writer
• Published: May 5, 2009 - Page: 1B

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Public safety officials launched a campaign Monday to increase seat belt use among 16- to 20-year-olds, an age group in which members are killed in vehicle crashes at a rate higher than other drivers.

Vehicle crashes claimed 109 teen lives in Louisiana two years ago, according to Louisiana Highway Safety Commission statistics. More than half — or 71 percent — of those killed were not wearing seat belts, the statistics show.

“It’s clear that we have a problem with teen deaths in Louisiana,” said Lt. Col. John LeBlanc, executive director of the safety commission in a news release. “Convincing more young motorists that they must obey the law and buckle up should result in fewer fatalities and injuries.”

The specialized teen campaign announced Monday at McKinley Senior High School will take place this month in Ascension, East Baton Rouge and Livingston parishes, said Jamie Ainsworth, a spokeswoman for the safety commission.

Funded by the National Traffic Safety Administration, the campaign is part of the state safety commission’s annual Click It or Ticket effort, which involves increased enforcement and outreach to the public about seat belt use, Ainsworth said.

The National Traffic Safety Administration selected Louisiana as one of the states in which to conduct the campaign to determine the most effective methods of increasing seat belt use among young motorists, she said.

The campaign will include increased enforcement of Louisiana’s seat belt law, educational programs at schools and rewards for teens who are seen wearing seat belts, Ainsworth said.

The rewards — iTunes gift cards used to download music from the Internet — will be handed out by members of a dozen law enforcement agencies involved in the campaign, Ainsworth said.

Those law enforcement officials also will work additional patrols and check points dedicated to catching seat belt law violators, Ainsworth said.

Louisiana law requires that drivers and front-seat occupants wear safety belts and children under the age of 13 wear a safety belt or be restrained by an appropriate child safety seat regardless of their seating position.

“State Police is committed to enforcing seat belt laws and will be out there aggressively looking for violators,” said Sgt. Markus Smith, a spokesman with State Police. “We want to try and make a difference this year.”

As part of the campaign, educational games that include seat belt use will be held at various high schools, community colleges and universities throughout the tri-parish area, Ainsworth said. Public service announcements also will be shown via various media outlets and Rave movie theaters.

McKinley sophomore Samantha Smith and some of her peers participated Monday in a contest called rock the belt.