Increasing teen seatbelt usage is the goal for a new public service announcement that was produced by SAFE (Seatbelts Are For Everyone) and representatives from the United States Army at Fort Riley. The message highlighted the importance of seatbelts both on post and in communities across Kansas.

“The emphasis is on seatbelts,” Richard Hearron, safety manager at Fort Riley’s Garrison Safety Office said. “Seatbelts save lives. That’s the bottom line.”

Members from the Kansas Department of Transportation, Kansas Traffic Safety Resource Office and Fort Riley’s Garrison Safety Office teamed up to create the safety message. The PSA has been distributed to the Combat Readiness Center at Fort Rucker (Alabama) and aired across the U.S. Army.

“Car crashes are the number one cause of death for teens,” Norraine Wingfield, Kansas Traffic Safety Resource Office project director said. “Our hope is that by seeing an active duty soldier wearing his seatbelt it will help motivate more teens to follow suit.”

Chief Warrant Officer 2 Anthony Manfredi assisted in production of the public service announcement demonstrating usage of safety equipment in an AH-64 Apache helicopter and by wearing a seatbelt in his privately-owned vehicle.

“It’s important to spread the word and lead by example – to not only say it, but to show people we’re doing it too,” Manfredi said.

SAFE is a peer-to-peer program located in 150 schools in 64 counties. Students educate their classmates on traffic safety issues such as distracted driving, impaired driving and especially encouraging one another to buckle up, every trip, every time.