Thirty-five Hampton Roads area high schools will compete in the 2019-2020 Get It Together High School Seat Belt Challenge as part of National Teen Driver Safety Week, which runs from Oct. 22-28.
The aim of this challenge is to increase seat belt use and improve driving behaviors for teens in Hampton Roads. Get It Together uses a student driven education program and seat belt observations to change behavior.
According to 2018 statistics from the DMV, there were 4,339 teens involved in crashes in the Hampton Roads area, resulting in 1,329 injuries and six fatalities. Lack of a seat belt accounted for three of these deaths. Investigative reports show the primary causes of teen deaths on the roadways are driver inexperience, driver distraction, no seat belts, and excessive speed. Participating schools will stress the importance of wearing seat belts every time students ride in a vehicle. Last year’s contest, completed in spring 2019, increased teen seat belt use by eight percent to 89.1%. This was five points higher than the state average.
This year’s contest includes 35 schools representing the cities of Chesapeake, Hampton, Isle of Wight, James City County, Newport News, Norfolk, Northampton County, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Virginia Beach, and York County.
DSHR has organized the Get It Together Challenge for 23 years. AAA Tidewater Virginia, State Farm® and the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles provide grant funding for the program.
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