Safety belt education using visual crash images and low-cost incentives

Automobile safety belt use among teen-agers remains low despite high crash morbidity and mortality. This article describes a model of a community-based safety belt promotional program. Ten public high schools, with student club and administrative support, were selected from across Mississippi. Safety belt assemblies, which created vivid crash images, were conducted using police officers, ambulance personnel, people with paraplegia, football players, and others. Low-cost incentives were awarded to buckled students over a 10-week period. Implementation of the program resulted in a mean increase of 21% in male safety belt use and 17% in female safety belt use. Concepts used in the program are reproducible, at minimal cost, by using personnel found in most communities.