Prince Frederick, MD – As part of the Hogan Administration’s commitment to increasing seat belt usage rates and saving lives on state roadways, Lt. Governor Boyd Rutherford and Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) Motor Vehicle Administration (MDOT MVA) Administrator and Governor Hogan’s Highway Safety Representative Christine Nizer joined students at Calvert High School during Governor Hogan’s Regional Cabinet Day in Southern Maryland to recognize the Making It Click program, a peer-led initiative to promote increased seat belt usage among young drivers.
“We are committed to reaching zero fatalities on Maryland roadways, and with the help our students, we can accomplish this goal,” said Lt. Governor Rutherford. “This initiative is a creative way to emphasize the importance of seat belt usage to increase safety for our youngest and newest drivers.”
Maryland has one of the highest seat belt usage rates for front seat passengers in the country at 92 percent—and through the influence of students’ participation in the Making It Click program, the state intends to continue to improve the number of individuals who buckle up every time they get in a vehicle, regardless of whether they are sitting in the front or the back of the vehicle.
The Making It Click program runs through May 31, 2018. and involves seven Maryland high schools and one college.
The participating schools are:
- Archbishop Spalding High School (Anne Arundel County)
- Calvert High School (Calvert County)
- Center for Applied Technology North (Anne Arundel County)
- Eleanor Roosevelt High School (Prince George’s County)
- Kent Island High School (Queen Anne’s County)
- McDaniel College (Carroll County)
- St. Mary’s High School (Anne Arundel County)
- Washington Academy and High School (Somerset County)
Students have been tasked with creatively raising awareness about the importance of always buckling up. They are also completing observational seat belt surveys to grasp what percentage of students are properly using their seat belts. To date, Calvert High School students have promoted the signing of a seat belt pledge and conducted multiple seat belt checks.
“Students can influence their peers and family members to buckle up in every seat, every time,” said MDOT MVA Administrator Nizer.
The Making It Click Program kicked off in early January and MDOT MHSO will recognize the school with the largest increase in seat belt use at the conclusion of the program.
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