Final Results!

In March, we began as a hopeful and dedicated group of high school students seeking an opportunity to encourage our student population to wear seatbelts.
When we discovered that Act Out Loud had selected us as one of the finalists, we were ecstatic that the opportunity had finally arrived.
We started our campaign with a seatbelt count, and were disappointed that only 77.9% of CSHS students were protected with seatbelts.
Motivated to change this discouraging statistic, we campaigned tirelessly with the help of a TV station, various newspapers, and our school's electronic billboard, daily announcements, parent and student newspapers.
We invited officers from AZ DPS to come to our school, bringing a car-crash simulator, beer googles, flyers, microphones, and speakers along with them.
We visited the middle school to spread awareness there as well.

On Wednesday, April 29th, ending our Buckle Up campaign, the SADD Falcons finally conducted their second seatbelt count.
We are thrilled to share the wonderful news!
Out of the 1274 counted,
1035 students were wearing their seatbelts! This means that 81.24% of Cactus Shadows drivers are belted, nearly 3.5% higher than before our campaign!
These 1035 belted occupants were waving, smiling, and pointing at their seatbelts while they drove past us at the parking lot entrances, proud that they are now a part of the Buckle Up campaign.

Clearly, our Buckle Up campaign had made a significant impact at our school.


CHECK OUT OUR FINAL VIDEO HERE:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLHgtxU7iRY

We would like to thank you to everyone who had helped us spreading our campaign:
AZ Department of Public Safety
Our fantastic All-State Representatives: Cassie O'Brien and Melissa Wilson
ABC15 News
Sonoran News
Scottsdale Independent
Desert Arroyo Middle School & Cactus Shadows High School
Our lovely advisor Mrs. Ward :)
Act Out Loud for giving us an opportunity to make a difference at our community,
and YOU! Thank you for following our blog and supporting our belief :)

We would like to end our campaign with this amazing news all the way from Florida:

Washington DC May 6, 2009; U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today applauded Florida for enacting a new primary seat belt law that is expected to save the lives of more than one hundred Floridians each year. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), seat belt use is the most effective protection against serious crash injuries, reducing the risk by 50 percent.

"We are pleased that Florida has joined the 27
other states that have adopted primary seat belt laws to save lives on their highways," said Secretary LaHood. "Wearing your seat belt is vitally important
and helps determine whether someone will ultimately walk away from a
crash."

NHTSA estimates that, with the passage of its primary belt law, Florida will save 124 lives, prevent 1,733 serious injuries, and save $408 million in associated costs each year.

http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2009/05/07/459985.html

[We, CSHS SADD from Arizona, love this good news :)]

Buckle Up and Make it a Habit, America! (and make sure you vote for us :D)

~CSHS SADD Falcons