Hopefully you’ve seen the banners and the electronic messages: “Are You Wearing Your Seat Belt?” “There’s Room To Live — Keep Your Body In the Car —Wear Your Seat Belt!”

“Buckle Up — Every Time, Every Ride!” “No Excuses — Buckle Up!” The Mower County Safe Communities Coalition/Towards Zero Deaths and Mower County Law Enforcement/Safe & Sober are collaborating in the May Mobilization media campaign to decrease traffic injuries and fatalities by promoting the use of seat belts.

We want to say a special “thank you” to coalition partners Nystrom Signs, Austin Awning and Pro-Build for their help in creating the banners and their sturdy frames and to Games People Play, Steve’s Pizza, Home Federal, Austin Medical Center, Community Bank, Taco John’s Godfather’s Pizza, the Cinemagic Theatre, Pacelli, Austin High School and Grand Meadow School for using their electronic message boards to promote the seat belt safety message. In a car crash, properly wearing a seat belt reduces the risk of fatal injury to front seat passengers by 45 percent.

In a crash, the leading cause of death for people who do not wear their seat belt is getting partially or fully ejected from the vehicle. According to last fall’s seat belt observational survey at five high traffic areas in the Austin area, 69 percent of community drivers and passengers were wearing their seat belts. 31 percent of us can be much safer! Please decide to buckle up!

Maryanne Law, Mower County Safe Communities Coalition Member