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Wear your seat belt, win a t-shirt -- Putnam County Tennessee
http://www.herald-citizen.com/NF/omf.wnm/herald/news_story.html?[rkey=0033602+[cr=gdn
Wear your seat belt, win a t-shirt
Lindsay McReynolds
Herald-Citizen Staff
Putnam emergency personnel and the Upper Cumberland Development District are hoping that a new incentive program will encourage more drivers to wear their seat belts.
Putnam EMS Paramedic Lisa Phy said the two groups are teaming up with local businesses to provide free t-shirts to drivers who are uninjured or suffer only minor injuries as a result of wearing a seat belt when involved in a car accident.
The effort is to encourage drivers and passengers to wear their seat belts at all times following July's passage of the new law that allows law enforcement to stop as well as ticket drivers for not wearing seat belts.
"Ken Mabery from UCDD approached me with an idea of giving an incentive to people for wearing their seat belts," Phy said. "He had been doing other things throughout the Upper Cumberland, such as giving out things to promote seat belt usage.
"The idea is when we go to a wreck, we can ask them if they were wearing a seat belt," Phy said. "If they say yes, and they were uninjured or minorly injured, we reward them with a t-shirt in an effort to say, 'You're lucky. You did good, and we're giving you this because you are doing what you need to do.'"
Phy said that Mabery came up with the idea for the t-shirts after reading an article about a police officer who encouraged seat belt usage among high school drivers by stopping every 10th vehicle and offering $5 to seat belt users.
Seat belt use at the school skyrocketed, and safety officials are hoping the same thing will happen here since it is estimated that seat belt usage remains low in the Upper Cumberland region.
"There's really no reason to risk paying the $50 fine," Phy said. "Maybe the kids will remember. Studies have shown that kids will mimic the adults they admire. If the adults wear them, the kids are going to also."
Phy said that t-shirts won't be given out at every crash and will be left up to the discretion of the emergency crew members who distribute them.
"It will be on a random basis for as long as supplies last, as long as we have sponsors," Phy said.
Published December 31, 2004 8:51 AM CST
http://www.herald-citizen.com/NF/omf.wnm/herald/news_story.html?[rkey=0033602+[cr=gdn
Wear your seat belt, win a t-shirt
Lindsay McReynolds
Herald-Citizen Staff
Putnam emergency personnel and the Upper Cumberland Development District are hoping that a new incentive program will encourage more drivers to wear their seat belts.
Putnam EMS Paramedic Lisa Phy said the two groups are teaming up with local businesses to provide free t-shirts to drivers who are uninjured or suffer only minor injuries as a result of wearing a seat belt when involved in a car accident.
The effort is to encourage drivers and passengers to wear their seat belts at all times following July's passage of the new law that allows law enforcement to stop as well as ticket drivers for not wearing seat belts.
"Ken Mabery from UCDD approached me with an idea of giving an incentive to people for wearing their seat belts," Phy said. "He had been doing other things throughout the Upper Cumberland, such as giving out things to promote seat belt usage.
"The idea is when we go to a wreck, we can ask them if they were wearing a seat belt," Phy said. "If they say yes, and they were uninjured or minorly injured, we reward them with a t-shirt in an effort to say, 'You're lucky. You did good, and we're giving you this because you are doing what you need to do.'"
Phy said that Mabery came up with the idea for the t-shirts after reading an article about a police officer who encouraged seat belt usage among high school drivers by stopping every 10th vehicle and offering $5 to seat belt users.
Seat belt use at the school skyrocketed, and safety officials are hoping the same thing will happen here since it is estimated that seat belt usage remains low in the Upper Cumberland region.
"There's really no reason to risk paying the $50 fine," Phy said. "Maybe the kids will remember. Studies have shown that kids will mimic the adults they admire. If the adults wear them, the kids are going to also."
Phy said that t-shirts won't be given out at every crash and will be left up to the discretion of the emergency crew members who distribute them.
"It will be on a random basis for as long as supplies last, as long as we have sponsors," Phy said.
Published December 31, 2004 8:51 AM CST
