FOR RELEASE TO LOCAL NEWS MEDIA AFTER PRE-OBSERVATIONS ARE COMPLETE:
Local students encourage peers to
buckle up with ‘Zero Crazy’!
Students at ______High School are working to create awareness about seat belt use by participating in Teens in the Driver Seat’s Zero Crazy.
Seat belts save over 13,000 lives each year, but 16 to 24-year-olds have the lowest usage rate. By creating awareness about the importance of using seat belts, through Zero Crazy, students at ______High School hope to change that.
Zero Crazy is a student run, hands-on program that helps inspire learning in schools. Members of the TDS program first observe and record seat belt use around ______(School name or abbreviation). After gathering the data, students set up a number of demonstrations to show how important it is to buckle up.
These demonstrations and activities involve the student body, so that everyone can understand how important it is to wear a seatbelt. After the activities, students once more make observations of their fellow students to see whether they were able to change some bad driving habits.
“Our team is really excited about Teens in the Driver Seat and the Zero Crazy initiative that are both designed to educate teenagers about the dangers involved with driving,” says ______(name),______(Ex: Student Council leader, TDS student leader, other student leader etc.) Zero Crazy is a fun, interactive activity that also spreads awareness about crazy driving habits.”
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FOR RELEASE TO LOCAL NEWS MEDIA AFTER POST-OBSERVATIONS ARE COMPLETE:
[insert high school name] completed seat belt use observations with ‘Zero Crazy’ activity
The Teens in the Driver Seat® team at ______High School recently participated in the “Zero Crazy” activity through the Texas A&M Transportation Institute to encourage seat belt use at their school.
On [date of observation] the team completed field observations to find out how many teens were buckling up. They found [insert percent] percent of observed teen drivers were not wearing their seat belt.
Over the next three weeks, the TDS team completed activities and messaging, such as [insert completed activities here] to encourage the students of [insert high school] to end the crazy behavior of not wearing their seat belt. The TDS team then completed another observation to find out if they made a difference. According to their observations, they were successful in increasing seat belt use by [insert percent] percent.
As [Insert team member name here], a [grade level] [high school name], explains, “Seat belts save lives. It’s crazy to choose not to wear one. It’s dangerous, it’s crazy, and we’re working hard to change people’s habits.”
The ______High School Teens in the Driver Seat team includes [insert team members].
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For school newspapers:
We’re aiming for Zero Crazy!
Seat belt use is the lowest for 16 to 24 year olds – which is crazy because seat belts save lives. In fact, they save over 13,000 lives each year. The Teens in the Driver Seat program here at ______High School is working to increase the number of students that wear their seat belt with Zero Crazy.
Remember these facts when you get in the car, whether you’re a driver or passenger.
· When referring to seat belts, “properly worn” means with both straps snugly fitted to transfer the impact of the collision to the parts of your body that can take it – your hipbones and shoulder bones. With just the shoulder strap on, you can slide out from under the seat belt and be strangled, while the lap belt alone doesn’t keep your face from hitting the steering wheel.
· A seat belt is your best and last protection if you are in an accident.
· During a crash, being buckled up helps keep you safe and secure inside your vehicle. Being thrown out of a vehicle is almost always deadly.
· Air bags are designed to work with seat belts, not replace them. In fact, if you don’t wear your seat belt, you could be thrown into an opening airbag and be injured or even killed.
· Get in the habit of always putting your seat belt on every time you get into a vehicle. No matter where you are sitting or the distance you are going.
· Ask your passengers to buckle up also. You are responsible for their safety.
Keep our drive alive!