Never Made It Campaign Highlights Consequences for Teens

The Never Made It safety belt marketing campaign will have a strong spring presence, working to impress the importance of safety belts on teens in time for spring activities.

Sponsored by the Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety, the campaign uses realistic, chilling images of teens that “never made it” to significant milestones in their lives or even day-to-day activities they may take for granted. It addresses common excuses teens may use when not buckling up and the consequences of those choices.

Spring is an ideal time to reach teenagers as they prepare for specific high points in their lives, like prom and graduation. The campaign will work to encourage teens to think about what they might miss if they don’t make the choice to buckle up and arrive alive.

Internet, radio and cable advertising begins in early April and runs through late May. Public service announcements are scheduled in theaters across the state, and posters have been created for statewide use.

Focus groups conducted last summer found that teens consider realism as one of the most effective ways to encourage safety belt use. Twelve focus groups were conducted last summer by MCRS in conjunction with the Institute of Public Policy and the Truman School of Public Affairs at the University of Missouri. These findings, along with information gained from last year’s Restrain Yourself video contest winners, were used to develop the campaign.

A study conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that young drivers account for only six percent of all drivers (ages 15-20), but they account for 14 percent of all fatal crashes. Between 2003-2005, nearly eight out of 10 teens killed in traffic crashes were not buckled up.

For more information about the new campaign or teen safety belt use, visit www.saveMOlives.com.