Published: March 25, 2008 11:09 pm            

Police reward Vigo’s student drivers for wearing seat belt

Tuesday’s event part of safety initiative

TERRE HAUTE — As Megan Davidson walked to her car Tuesday, she wondered why several police officers were standing at the Terre Haute South Vigo High School parking lot exit.

At least one police car had its lights flashing.

“I don’t know what’s going on,” said Davidson, a South junior, as she prepared to enter her car.

Another student, senior Nick Pullen, speculated, “They’re coming to get somebody.”

All student drivers, including Davidson and Pullen, were eventually stopped — but for a good cause.

Police or school officials checked each car to see if students were wearing seat belts, part of a seat-belt safety initiative announced earlier in the day.

Initiative partners include the Vigo County School Corp., local police agencies, business sponsors, Clarian Health and the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute.

Student drivers who used seat belts received a coupon good for a car wash, and passengers who buckled up received coupons from food establishments.

Students who didn’t wear the restraints received a friendly reminder to use them.

At least two other similar events will occur through the rest of the school year, and each time, the consequences for not wearing a seat belt will get a little more serious.

The goal is to save lives, said Superintendent Dan Tanoos, who spoke during a news conference to announce the initiative. He said he’s seen too many students die tragically.

“We often talk about if we can just save one life. I don’t want to save just one life. I want to save every life,” said the superintendent. “I want every kid, every day, to be safe driving to and from school. It saddens me to think of the lives we’ve lost.”

He said his life was forever changed by the tragic accident that claimed the life of Travis Smith, whose mother, Tami Smith, also spoke Tuesday.

“I’m here to talk to you as a mom that grieves the loss of her son on a daily basis,” she said. In January 2007, her son died in an automobile accident in Muncie; he was not wearing a seat belt.

Smith doesn’t know if a seat belt would have saved her son’s life, but she knows that seat belts can and do save lives.

“If we can help keep one person from going through what my family has had to endure this last year, it will have been for a good cause,” she said.

Tanoos said the intent of the initiative is get students thinking about seat-belt safety before they leave school property. Hopefully, students will make it a routine, if they haven’t already.

Police and school officials will conduct the seat-belt “inspections” at each high school this week. On Tuesday, they went to Booker T. Washington High School and Terre Haute South Vigo.

This time, the “consequence” for those who don’t buckle up is a friendly reminder. For the remainder of the school year, there will be at least two other similar seat-belt events as students exit school parking lots.

The second time, if students aren’t wearing seat belts, their names will be written down and a letter will be sent home. The third time, students who don’t use seat belts face possible loss of school parking privileges.

Each time, student drivers and passengers who wear seat belts will receive coupons. Businesses that are helping sponsor the program include Mike’s Stop and Shine; Beef O’Brady’s; Wendy’s; Subway and BW3.

Each high school has received a $1,000 federal grant to help buy coupons and other promotional items. Clarian Health distributed the funding, which came through the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute. The funding source is the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

“Traffic fatalities are the leading cause of death for teens,” said Amanda Hornback of the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute.

Mayor Duke Bennett also attended to lend the city’s support. “I want us to be at the table to do what we can,” he said. He noted that his son is about to start driver’s education.

Bennett recalled the time he and his wife were in a serious accident, and neither wore seat belts. “That was a real wake-up call for me personally,” Bennett said.

After learning why the police were at South Vigo, student Megan Davidson agreed that promoting seat-belt use was a good idea. “People drive like maniacs in our parking lot,” she said.

She believes most students do wear the devices. “I know a lot of my friends do,” Davidson said.

While she agreed the event was a good idea, “This is a little much,” she said before she went through the seat-belt check.

South senior Dana Carley said seeing all the police “kind of makes you nervous, but it seems like everybody is really cool.” She’s heard of similar seat-belt programs at other schools.

“I think it’s a really good idea because I definitely think it’s important for people to wear their seat belts,” Carley said.

One of Carley’s best friends never wore a seat belt until she was in a wreck and got really bad whiplash, Carley said. Then, her friend realized the importance of seat belts.

After South senior Nick Pullen understood what was going on at the parking lot exit, he also supported the program. “It’s great. Students should be wearing their seat belts,” he said.

Sue Loughlin can be reached at (812) 231-4235 or sue.loughlin@tribstar.com.

        

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