Watkins Memorial High School wins Licking County Health Department's seat belt contest
The Licking County Health Department's (LCHD) Safe Communities Coalition recently held a seat belt contest between three local high schools to support the annual Click It or Ticket high-visibility seat belt enforcement campaign: Northridge High School, Licking Valley High School, and Watkins Memorial High School.
During select dates in May, seat belt checks were conducted at each high school by LCHD's Safe Communities Coalition and Sheriff Deputies from the Licking County Sheriff’s Office. Watkins Memorial High School won the seatbelt contest with 95% of their students being buckled up on their way to school during the check time. Licking Valley High School had 92% of their students buckled up and Northridge High School had 91% percent of their students buckled up.
"We would like to congratulate and celebrate Southwest Licking Local School District for winning our seat belt competition. We hope as winners Watkins Memorial students can serve as positive influences to other teens in Licking County about safe driving. Whether you are the driver or the passenger, you have the responsibility of keeping others in the car safe and reminding everyone to buckle up," said Sia Williams, LCHD’s Safe Communities Coordinator. "Car crashes are the number one killer of teens. It takes just a few seconds to tell your friends to buckle up. Even if it is an uncomfortable conversation, those few seconds of discomfort are worth the possibility of saving their life. The first decision you make when you get in the car is one of the most important: putting on your seat belt."
This local contest raised awareness and educated young drivers within Licking County on the importance of wearing a seat belt while driving. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) states that teen drivers (aged 16-19) are three times as likely as drivers aged 20 or older to be in a fatal crash. In 2018, the Ohio State Highway Patrol reported that Licking County teenagers received the second highest number of citations (1,393 total) in the state of Ohio. This campaign aimed to get more young drivers to understand the importance of buckling up and making safe decisions when they get in the car. This contest also aimed to increase awareness of both the monetary costs and risks of bodily injury from not wearing a seat belt in drivers of all ages.
Congratulations again to Watkins Memorial, and a reminder to everyone the importance of buckling up!
This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Watkins Memorial wins health department's seat belt contest
