"Show Me" Seat Belt Safety
by Teresa Sands
March 28, 2008
On Wednesday, March 26, the elementary students received a demonstration from Sgt. Brent Bernhardt of the Missouri State Highway Patrol on the importance of seat belt safety. He explained why rules are made and shared statistics with the students.
One of the goofy excuses people give for not wearing seat belts is that they are only traveling a short distance. Statistics show most accidents happen within 25 miles of home. A person could be injured and or killed at speeds as low as 12 mph.
Statistics also show a person has a 100% chance of being involved in a traffic accident during his lifetime. Of the 991 Missourians who were killed in a traffic accident in 2007, they were someone's grandma, mother, father, friend, people just like us, etc... It only takes 3 seconds to buckle up. Sgt. Bernhardt recruited help from the students by asking them to take the 3 seconds to buckle in and to encourage others in the vehicle to do the same.
The children weren't just told that seat belts were important- they were SHOWN. There is no 100% guarantee that wearing a seat belt is going to save your life, but it does increase your survival by 40-50%. If you know a Putnam County Elementary student ask him/her what happens when you do and do not choose to wear your seatbelt.
