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Wear a belt, get a buck
Area drivers and passengers who remember to buckle up in the coming days will be rewarded for their awareness.
The Safe Kids Kansas organization, State Farm Insurance and the Kansas Department of Transportation have joined forces to create a safety awareness campaign to encourage families to buckle up and drive safely to protect themselves.
"Vehicle accidents are such a huge cause of death in Kansas," local State Farm agent Kale Nelson said. "If we can save one person from injury, let alone death, it's well worth the time it takes to highlight the importance of wearing a seat belt."
Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for people between 4 and 33 years of age, a press release from Nelson said.
Thousands of vehicles will be traveling Kansas roadways starting this weekend, Labor Day weekend. Many families will head out on one last camping trip or getaway as the school year begins.
"Labor Day weekend is one of the busiest traffic weekends of the entire year," the press release said. "Set a good example for your family by having everyone buckle up before you leave your driveway."
This year, the Bucks for Buckles safety awareness program, which began Sunday, will take place through Saturday, Sept. 12, and is being conducted in 43 cities across Kansas, including Fort Scott.
Nelson, who is coordinating the local campaign, said he and a group of local volunteers will be stopping drivers randomly throughout the morning Friday to check for seat belt use among drivers and passengers, and to remind them to wear seat belts when traveling over the Labor Day weekend.
Volunteers will distribute one dollar bills to drivers who have all occupants buckled up securely in their vehicle. Those riding unrestrained will receive educational materials about the effectiveness of seat belts and child safety seats in saving lives and reducing injuries.
"No one can predict when they will be involved in a motor vehicle crash, yet almost all of us will be involved in a serious automobile crash in our lifetime," Safe Kids Kansas State Director Cherie Sage said. "Last year, 385 people lost their lives on Kansas roadways. The single most effective means of protecting the lives of you and your passengers is wearing seat belts and appropriate child restraints every time you ride in the vehicle -- even short distances."
According to the 2008 KDOT safety belt survey, only 77 percent of those surveyed 14 years of age and older were wearing a safety belt. This compares to the national average of 83 percent. In 2008, Kansas ranked 39th in the nation in seat belt use, according to the survey.
"It is important that Kansans get the message that seat belts save lives," Sage said. "An average of 115 people die each day in motor vehicle crashes nationally; that's an average of one death every 12 minutes. This is unacceptable."
According to KDOT, since 1982 it is estimated that 697 Kansas residents were saved by wearing a seat belt.
Studies also show that when the driver is buckled up, 85 percent of kids are also restrained. In a vehicle, the safest way to tranport a child is in the back seat, restrained by a car seat, booster seat, or seat belt.
According to the National Institute for Highway Safety, the average hospital costs for a crash vicim who was not restrained are 50 percent higher than those for a victim who was restrained. Society bears about 85 percent of these costs, not the individual involved.
State Farm, a proponent of seat belt use for several years, has continued to work in recent years to promote seat belt use among teens, as well as the strengthening of seat belt laws, an agency statement said.
"It is important to raise awareness and talk more about seat belt usage," State Farm Public Affairs Supervisor Tamara O'Connor said. "A great majority of traffic related injuries are preventable. We simply must take personal responsibility and make better choices when behind the wheel. It is no longer debatable, passenger safety restraints save lives."