Seat belt safety is the focus of assembly and challenge

The benefits of driving with a seatbelt and the dangers of driving without one, punctuated by the stories of families who lost loved ones in car crashes, were presented to the Archbishop Carroll student body Friday by speakers from the Delaware County Transportation Management Association and the Radnor Police. 

The assembly is part of the seat belt challenge, where the number of student drivers wearing their seatbelts is tallied and totaled. Schools then compete against one another to have the highest percentage of seat belt wearers. 

“As of right now, 90 percent of Carroll students are wearing their seatbelts,” said senior Mia Arpea. “So let’s get that final 10 percent!”

Students expressed their reactions to the presentation, which is given annually but was revised for this year. Several students said they thought that the presentation was educational. 

“The new updates to the seat belt assembly made it more beneficial than before,” said Arpea. 

Senior Ami Balogun-Victor said she liked it, too.

“The assembly was informative and a great lesson for everyone who wants to drive,” said senior Ami Balogun-Victor. 

Junior Angelina Lugo said she learned some new information. 

“I now know more about the importance of seatbelts than I ever did,” said Lugo.

Some said the assembly was a reality check. 

“As a driver, the seat belt assembly helped me reassess my driving habits and ways to incorporate safe driving,” said senior Laura Carpenter. “I realized that I could be a better driver and that there are ways to make sure that I and others in the car are safe.” 

Junior Brooke Quigley said hearing from the families of the car crash victims was effective. 

“I think that this presentation was more impactful than the previous ones because of the videos showing the family members of people who died in car crashes,” said Quigley.

The nation’s statistics on seat belt wearers surprised junior Blaise Watson. 

“I think that 1 in 10 people not wearing seatbelts is very concerning,” said Watson.