Buckle Up America, Operation Teach

Operation TEACH Related Activities

There are activities young people can do to learn more about buckling up and help others learn more as well. Here are a few suggestions.

Hold a seat belt/child seat installation checkpoint in your school parking lot: Many community organizations, safety groups, health and medical groups, fire departments and
law enforcement agencies have trained personnel to help you do this.
Invite local safety "experts" to make a presentation: Ask a police officer, firefighter, nurse, doctor, PTA Safety Chair or other community safety leaders to talk about buckling up and air bag safety.
Study your state's occupant protection laws: Research the seat belt and child passenger safety laws in your state.
Create Science or History Fair exhibits about buckling up: Show, in a scientific demonstration, the force a crash or roll-over has on unbelted and belted occupants or write about the history of belt use in America. Contact the National Science Teachers Association for information about their new curriculum with traffic safety-related science experiments.
Create an incentive program for Operation TEACH activities: Points could be accumulated for activities completed by individual students, classes or scout packs.
Hold a radio call in "talk show" with youth hosts: Interview community safety experts
on school radio or closed circuit broadcasts.

Visit NHTSA's Safety City web page at www.nhtsa.dot.gov/kids.
Conduct seat belt observation surveys: Work with the school safety patrol to monitor and record seat belt and child safety seat use during school drop-off and pick-up times. Create a school challenge to increase belt use by kids and their parents.
Hold a pledge card drive by class: Hold a contest for the class who returns the most Operation TEACH Family Pledge cards. Send copies of your pledge cards to community leaders.
Invite the media to cover your event: When you mail your letters, or hold a school based
safety-check, ask local TV, radio and newspapers to come watch.
Create a Buckle Up America community service activity: Classes, school patrols, or scout troops could earn credit for handing out literature at schools, stores, shopping malls, or
Little League ball fields. Many high school students must do a community service project to graduate. This type of project would be a great community service!
Write a seat belt use policy for schools and organizations: Get every child and parent to pledge to buckle up.