Listed below are ideas and tips that will help get you started in planning activities to promote rural traffic occupant safety, seat belt usage and child vehicle safety within your community, as well as the importance of enforcing traffic occupant safety laws as a means to prevent injuries that may result in long-term health problems and deaths.

• Print placemats for use in area restaurants and diners that promote the Partners for Rural Traffic Safety project, along with messages such as “buckle up.”
• Print table tents for use in area bars, taverns and fast-food establishments that promote the Partners for Rural Traffic Safety project, along with messages such as “buckle up.”
• Offer incentives for use with the project, such as coupons for a free drink or food item and discounts on services, to be distributed to area residents who are using their seat belts and other safety restraints.
• Hang posters in business windows that promote seat belt usage, air bag safety for children and the importance of enforcing traffic occupant safety laws.
• Hang seat belt usage and other traffic safety posters or fliers on area gas pumps.
• Conduct presentations focusing on traffic safety and the importance of enforcing occupant safety laws at local business meetings (Chamber of Commerce, Better Business Bureau, Rotary Club, etc.). Create a talking points tip sheet for use in preparation for such presentations.
• Distribute incentives with traffic safety messages, including key rings or pencils imprinted with “buckle up” messages and the like.
• Distribute community traffic safety project information fliers or brochures at check-out registers, or use as bag inserts at grocery and convenience stores.
• Distribute “Kids Aren’t Cargo” hangtags (see resource list) or fliers at businesses that attract truck traffic, such as granaries, farmers’ co-ops, etc.
• Prepare an article for publication in the Chamber of Commerce newsletter.
• Involve local insurance agents: fliers to enclose in premium billings, contributing premiums to reinforce positive behavior, etc.
• Encourage local businesses to add Buckle Up America! clip art to local advertisements to show support (clip art is included on computer disk and in the Buckle Up America! general information folio in the community kit).
• As local auto dealers to hand air bag information hangtags in all new automobiles purchased, and “Kids Aren’t Cargo” hangtag in all new pickup trucks purchased.
• Have local grocery stores donate grocery bags to schools for children to decorate with traffic safety messages, then return the bags to the grocery stores to use. Encourage children to sign their decorated bags.
• Approach local businesses with lighted signs about including a traffic safety message during the campaign.
• Approach local food businesses about distributing coupons to those wearing safety restraints for a free soft drink or food item as positive reinforcement.
• Provide informational “stuffers” to local banks to include with bank statements, as well as to local grocery stores to include in grocery bags.
• Approach local car dealerships and repair shops about fixing or replacing broken seat belts at a discounted price during the campaign. Also, request that they hand air bag hangtags in all cars serviced and “Kids Aren’t Cargo” hangtags in all pickup trucks repaired.
• Encourage businesses with company cars to adopt a policy requiring employees to use seat belts when driving or riding in a company car.
• Encourage businesses to hang “Buckle Up” signs at entrances and exits to parking lots.
• Establish seat belt use policies for employees.
• Conduct education program for employees.

Listed below are ideas and tips that will help get you started in planning activities to promote rural traffic occupant safety, seat belt usage and child vehicle safety within your community, as well as the importance of enforcing traffic occupant safety laws as a means to prevent injuries that may result in long-term health problems and deaths.

• Conduct a poster contest in which students design and produce posters with traffic safety, child seat and airbag safety, seat belt usage themes, the importance of law enforcement and related themes. Award prizes, incentives or ribbons in several categories (by grade, theme, etc.). Hang winners and others in local business windows to promote traffic safety and reward the students for their hard work. (A coloring contest may be a better option for preschool and elementary students.)
• Invite law enforcement representatives to make presentations on traffic safety and seat belt usage to classes.
• Conduct a bulletin board project in which students decorate a classroom or hall bulletin board using a traffic safety or seat belt usage theme.
• Hang traffic safety and seat belt usage posters in school common areas, such as cafeterias, halls or lobbies.
• Discuss traffic safety and seat belt usage in class and assign a take home project or worksheet for students to complete with their parents.
• Provide fact sheets or brochures on traffic safety issues and the importance of enforcement of occupant safety laws for students to take home and discuss with parents.
• Discuss traffic safety issues and the importance of enforcement of traffic occupant safety laws during after-school and other related youth meetings (4-H, Boy and Girl Scouts, etc.).
• Distribute community traffic safety project information fliers or brochures at check-out registers, or use as bag inserts at grocery and convenience stores.
• Distribute “Kids Aren’t Cargo” hangtags (see resource list) or fliers to students to take home and hang on parents’, friends’ and neighbors’ truck rear-view mirrors.
• Have announcer make “Buckle Up” announcement at the end of all school football games and other events.
• Have Vince and Larry© greet arrivals at one or more school events and distribute traffic safety fact sheets, premiums to those wearing restraints, etc.
• Have children color grocery bags donated by local stores with traffic safety messages and return them for use by the grocery stores. Encourage children to sign their drawings.
• Post “Buckle Up” signs in school parking lots.
• Use “Buckle Up” clip art in school newsletters.
• Erect a “Pledge Tree” at the school and have students, parents and faculty sign pledges to buckle up and hang them on the tree.

Listed below are ideas and tips that will help get you started in planning activities to promote rural traffic occupant safety, seat belt usage and child vehicle safety within your community, as well as the importance of enforcing traffic occupant safety laws as a means to prevent injuries that may result in long-term health problems and deaths.

• Deliver a message about traffic safety and seat belt usage using a “Heaven Can Wait” or a “We Love You—Buckle Up” theme (see resource list for lapel stickers).
• Invite law enforcement representatives to make presentations on traffic safety and seat belt usage to youth and adult groups.
• Conduct a bulletin board project in which youth decorate a Sunday classroom or hall bulletin board using a traffic safety or seat belt usage theme.
• Hang traffic safety and seat belt usage posters in youth common areas, such as meeting rooms and halls.
• Discuss traffic safety and seat belt usage in Sunday school classes and assign a take home project or worksheet for students to complete with their parents.
• Provide fact sheets or brochures on traffic safety issues and the importance of enforcement of occupant safety laws for students to take home and discuss with parents.
• Hold a church social, such as an ice cream social or pancake breakfast to raise money to purchase child safety seats for those who cannot afford them. Print tickets with a “buckle up” reminder on the reverse side.
• Have youth distribute lapel stickers (see resources list) about traffic safety to those who arrive at services wearing seat belts and using child safety seats with children in the back seat. Note during services those in attendance who are wearing the stickers those who are not to demonstrate how many people do not use them.
• Have youth groups put traffic safety facts and information fliers on car windshields during services.
• Coordinate a collection of donated new or used (but still safe) child car seats to donate to those who cannot afford them.
• Encourage places of worship to include traffic safety information, facts and clip art in newsletters and bulletins.
• Encourage clergy to remind attendees to wear seat belts as the dismissal of services.
• Use “Buckle Up” clip art in church bulletins, newsletters and programs.

Listed below are ideas and tips that will help get you started in planning activities to promote rural traffic occupant safety, seat belt usage and child vehicle safety within your community, as well as the importance of enforcing traffic occupant safety laws as a means to prevent injuries that may result in long-term health problems and deaths.

• Make presentations at community, church, school and other meetings on traffic safety and the importance of strong enforcement of vehicle occupant safety laws.
• Write editorials and letters to the editor to the local newspaper on traffic safety and the importance of strong enforcement of vehicle occupant safety laws, as well as on the health care costs that using safety restraints save the community.
• Distribute information about infant and young child car safety seat installation and proper usage, as well as child air bag safety, to community day care facilities and babysitters to give to parents.
• Place fliers about the importance of using safety restraints and the costs they save the community in health care services on automobile windshields in busy areas of the community, such as shopping and business districts.
• Conduct a child safety seat recycling program to obtain seats from those who no longer need them to distribute to those that do, but cannot afford them. Offer incentives (coupons for a free drink or food item from local restaurants and fast-food establishments, etc.) to those who donate seats. Involve day care facilities and babysitters in identifying those in need.
• Distribute traffic safety information at area elderly community centers.
• Talk to community leaders about posting “Buckle Up” signs on roads leaving the community.
• Work with city government to obtain mayoral proclamation of the campaign period as traffic safety month (see sample proclamation in community kit).
• Distribute posters to be hung in community public areas, such as libraries, post offices, city hall, courthouse, etc.
• Organize a community “lights on” effort, during which homeowners leave porch lights on for a designated night to remind community residents to use seat belts and appropriate child restraints.
• Coordinate Vince and Larry© appearances at local community events.
• Post “Buckle Up” signs at entrances and exits to the community (check with state traffic safety office for availability).