Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
RICHFIELD — For a long time, Sevier County has owned a not-so-great statistic.
“We had about the lowest compliance of seat-belt use in the state of Utah,” said Sevier County sheriff's deputy Matt Mclean.
Last spring, Sevier County was one of just three communities in the United States to receive funding from the National Highway Safety Traffic Administration to find innovative ways to improve seat-belt use in their community.
Sheriff’s deputies got to work and quickly found seat-belt usage in the county was actually worse than they expected. In surveying drivers last May, deputies found just 53 percent were wearing seat belts; in February of this year, that number increased to 79 percent.
So, why such a positive turnaround?
Utah's new primary seat belt law went into effect on May 12, 2015, but deputies believe community involvement in their "seat-belt challenge" is what is really motivating drivers to buckle up.
“Education has been a huge component of our program. We have been out educating motorists, making traffic stops, writing warnings and talking with the public,” Mclean said.
Deputies are also rewarding those who are buckled with candy bars.
Signs advertising the seat-belt challenge are going up in local businesses, as well as on garbage trucks, and deputies enlisted schoolchildren to help them with their campaign. An ad created by sixth-grade student Sierra Lanigleave took first in the county competition.
Sierra said she grew up buckling up. She continues to wear a seat belt because, “first of all, my mom told me to, and because … I knew that if I didn’t and we got in a car crash I could be seriously injured or die.”
Deputies hope it's a message that everyone in this community will embrace.
“Wearing your seat belt keeps you in the vehicle, keeps you safe, keeps you from being thrown around in the vehicle; and, statistically, you are much safer wearing your seat belt,’ said deputy Cody Barton of the Sevier County Sheriff’s Office.
It’s a simple habit deputies believe will make Sevier County a safer place to live.
