13 WTHR - Indianapolis News |Program looks to students to improve driver safety

Program looks to students to improve driver safety

Chris Proffitt/Eyewitness News

Hamilton County - A new program is asking students to pledge to be safe drivers.

On the same June day, two separate Hamilton County accidents killed two teenagers. Neither victim nor the six passengers involved were wearing seat belts - a bad choice that haunts families left behind.

"He was killed in an accident where the driver had been drinking and he was a passenger in the back seat," said Fritz Warner, whose son was killed in one of the June 10th crashes.

It because of these tragic stories and the statistics behind them that three Hamilton County high schools are part of a unique pilot program that requires teen drivers to sign contracts pledging to wear seat belts, not use cell phones while driving or drink and drive.

The Buckle Down program is a direct response to nearly 1,500 crashes involving Hamilton County teens in 2008 alone.

"It's a student-led program and when they get in the car, they take that ownership. This is my world. People in my car need to buckle up," said Lisa Wissman, Buckle Down director.

So far, Carmel, Noblesville and Westfield High Schools have joined with students able to win a new car as an incentive - which vies with another powerful and dangerous lure for teenagers.

While Indiana law makes it illegal for teens under 18 to text while driving, students say that it remains a big problem among young drivers contributing to accidents.

"I know a lot of my friends that text while driving. We're encouraging them not to and to make safe habits when driving," said Kara Drummond, a sophomore at Westfield.

Because of teenager inexperience behind the wheel and distractions, police say wearing a seat belt not only is proven to save lives, but it's the law.

"It's the one thing that you can do to help save your life that's the quickest, easiest thing that takes the least amount of time or effort to do," said Sgt. Steve Pickett, Fishers Police Department.

The hope is to create a culture of safe driving among teenagers who too often don't understand the consequences.

More about the program:

The "Buckle Down" program provides contracts for students to sign, through which they indicate they will focus on making good choices while behind the wheel of an automobile. Participating students can then earn points throughout the year which can be used to redeem various prizes, with ultimately one grand prize being awarded to a student whose school met program criteria. That lucky student whose name is drawn will win a car donated by Don Hinds Ford in Fishers.

Students will register and sign their contracts on the new website where they will also have the opportunity to interact with other students participating in the program from all the schools. This social site provides a forum for teens to discuss the choices they make on a daily basis and allows the message to come from their peers.

Partners in the program include, Don Hinds Ford, Legacy Fund, TAG-The Auri Group, Fuel V.M., Priority Risk Management, AAA Hoosier Insurance, Riverview Hospital, Herff Jones, M & I Bank, Fraternal Order of Police, Olinger Distributing Co., and Hamilton County Council on Alcohol and Other Drugs.

Any business, organization or individual interested in being a sponsor of the program or making a donation to the program, whether it be financial, in gift cards or other prizes for the students, please contact Beth Gehlhausen, SNAP Director, at 317-432-4187 for more details.