November 14 marks National Seat Belt Day, a moment to remind ourselves and our community that buckling up isn’t optional—it’s life-saving. This year, the Florida Teen Safe Driving Coalition (FTSDC) is pairing that reminder with a bold invitation to Florida high schools: join in and make this habit part of your school culture with the free Battle of the Belts kit.

Why November 14? Originally declared to honor the first U.S. federal safety belt law (effective 1968), National Seat Belt Day is more than a date on the calendar—it’s a mandate for action. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), safety belts saved an estimated 14,955 lives in one year alone, and nearly half of all passenger-vehicle occupant fatalities in 2023 were individuals who weren’t buckled.

What’s more, although our nationwide adult front-seat safety belt use rate hovers around 91% (good), the remaining ~9% is still far too large a gap.

And in Florida? We’re slightly beneath the national average, meaning there’s room to move.

The Numbers That Should Hit Home In 2023, about 49% of passenger vehicle occupants killed in crashes were unrestrained. Teens and young adults remain among the lowest-belted age groups—a key reason our “Battle of the Belts” high school outreach is so important. A peer-led, student-driven campaign showed safety belt use rising from 82% to 87% in a sample data set. Buckling up reduces your risk of serious injury by around 45% and moderate-to-critical injury by 50%. What’s Different About Our Approach Most blogs will stop at “please buckle up.” We’re doing more. Here’s what sets this apart:

Sharing a toolkit – Not just telling you to buckle, we invite entire school communities to own the habit. Peer-to-peer empowerment – We’re engaging teens because they influence each other. Travel, hangouts, and rides with friends all feed into this. Data-driven local push – We’re not just citing national numbers; we’re looking at Florida, at our teens, and asking, “what next?” High-school challenge – By tying safety belt use to fun competition (the Battle of the Belts), we lean into student energy and school culture.

How Florida High Schools Can Get Involved Here’s your direct action step for today: Florida high schools can register right now to receive a free Battle of the Belts campaign kit filled with materials, fun activities, and peer-leadership tools. All you need is administration permission, an adult to oversee it, and passionate student rockstars to take it away!

Why it matters:

It gives schools a ready-to-go platform for safety belt awareness. It builds student involvement (not just adult-to-teen talking). It links into our statewide safety belt momentum—including stories, recognition, and visible change. Register here: Battle of the Belts – FTSDC

Also check: Our Traffic Safety Resources page on the FTSDC website for downloadable content and toolkits.

And don’t forget: once registered, follow up—start talking to student government, SROs, coaching staff, drivers’ ed instructors… this is your culture-shift moment.

Ideas You Can Use Today Launch a “Selfie with Your Safety Belt On” challenge on Instagram Stories. Encourage students to tag your school using #BeltUpFL or #BattleOfTheBelts. Just make sure the car is parked! Highlight “real people, real rides” stories. Students can share why they buckle, and peers can discuss why they should. Keeping it personal helps make the message stick. Use National Seat Belt Day (Nov 14) as a kickoff. Mention it in morning announcements, bring it into classroom discussions, and share it across your school’s social channels.

Final Thought Every time you buckle up, you’re making a choice: to show up. To ride safe. To protect your friends, your family, and yourself.

Let’s use National Seat Belt Day as our launchpad. Let’s make Florida’s high-school communities leaders in safe rides. Let’s fasten the safety belt and shift the culture.

Schools: you’ve got the kit. You’ve got the moment. Click the link. Register. Let’s do this together.

From all of us at FTSDC—thank you for choosing to buckle up every trip, every time. 💛