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Children’s Hospital, Hazelwood Central
As an added safe-driving measure during prom week at Hazelwood Central High School, safety officers checked for students and adults who were driving without seat belts, interrupting the usual mass exodus from the parking lot at the end of school.
“St. Louis County Police Officers Chuck Wyman and Ron Cockrell conducted seat belt checks at the end of school for staff, parents and students,” said Principal Frank Smith.
The St. Louis Children’s Hospital Click It Crew placed a badly crushed vehicle at the entrance of the school as a reminder to drivers of the consequences of driving without seat belts.
This preceded the hospital’s safe driving program. The hospital presented the program to juniors and seniors two days before their prom.
Michelle Mitchell, program coordinator of child health, advocacy and outreach at St. Louis Children’s Hospital, met with the students to discuss some grim realities.
“Our message is strictly seat belt safety—we target teenagers that are pre-drivers and driving age. Statistics show that car crashes from not wearing seat belts are the No. 1 cause of death for teenagers 16-20 years old,” Mitchell said. Mitchell’s hour-long presentation packed in information to help young drivers make the right decision to wear their seat belts.
“We have testimonials from parents who have lost kids in car crashes and we show them videos of crashes and what can happen to their bodies in crashes,” Mitchell added.
Next, students watched images from a cab driver’s dashboard video, where the driver fell asleep at the wheel and crashed the car. He tossed around in the vehicle until his head crashed through the back window panel. There was no gore. However, the driver was not a wearing seat belt and did not survive the wreck.
Mitchell reminded students of the proper method of securing seat belts. “Across your chest and low and tight across your lap,” Mitchell said.
The school resource officer gave teenagers another reason to buckle up. “There is a new law. We don’t need another reason to stop you and pull you over for not wearing a seat belt,” Cockrell said. “The ticket is $80 plus court costs.”
The program ended with a rap commissioned by the hospital called, “Buckle Up,” performed by Central alumni Fred Hopkins, an artist with A.N.D. Entertainment. (story courtesy of Hazelwood Communications Dept.)
