Glen Burnie, MD. (February 19, 2019) – The spring 2019 Making It Click program from the Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration Highway Safety Office (MDOT MVA MHSO) began last week at 23 participating high schools and one college. The peer-led program promotes 100 percent seat belt usage among young drivers and passengers. Car crashes are the number one killer of teens in the United States, and in 2017, 116 people were killed in crashes on Maryland’s roads while not wearing a seat belt. The Making It Click program launched last year.
“Wearing a seat belt is your best defense in a crash,” said Chrissy Nizer, MDOT MVA Administrator and Governor Larry Hogan’s Highway Safety Representative. “Encouraging your peers, families and friends to buckle up in every seat, every time, helps to reinforce this life-saving habit.”
Student-led organizations at each participating school are required to complete observational seat belt and cellphone use surveys at the beginning and end of the program. With tool kits provided by MDOT MVA MHSO, students creatively compete to raise awareness about seat belt safety. Students can create posters, videos, memes, flyers and other materials, as well as sign pledge cards and share ideas about seat belt use and highway safety in school and on social media.
The 24 participating schools are:
- Allegany College of Maryland (Allegany County)
- Center of Applied Technology-North (Anne Arundel County)
- Dundalk High School (Baltimore County)
- Eastern Technical High School (Baltimore County)
- Kenwood High School (Baltimore County)
- Sparrows Point High School (Baltimore County)
- Calvert High School (Calvert County)
- Huntingtown High School (Calvert County)
- Patuxent High School (Calvert County)
- C. Milton Wright High School (Harford County)
- Edgewood High School (Harford County)
- Fallston High School (Harford County)
- Harford Technical High School (Harford County)
- Joppatowne High School (Harford County)
- North Harford High School (Harford County)
- Patterson Mill High School (Harford County)
- Atholton High School (Howard County)
- Glenelg High School (Howard County)
- Hammond High School (Howard County)
- Mt. Hebron High School (Howard County)
- Oakland Mills High School (Howard County)
- River Hill High School (Howard County)
- Wilde Lake High School (Howard County)
- Chopticon High School (St. Mary’s County)
The spring 2019 Making It Click program runs through Friday, May 10, 2019. MDOT MVA MHSO will recognize the schools with the largest increase in seat belt usage and highest overall usage rate at the end of the program.
MDOT also reminds motorists to always buckle up and to drive distraction-free. For more on Toward Zero Deaths Maryland, visit towardzerodeathsmd.com or find us on Facebook @towardzerodeathsmd, on Twitter @tzd_maryland, and on Instagram at twdzerodeaths_md. | 
