Texas high school students can now compete for a $5,000 prize for their school by pledging to wear seat belts in a new safety challenge announced by state transportation officials and the University Interscholastic League.
The “Saved by the Belt” campaign targets a deadly trend: teenagers were involved in 19% of all Texas motor vehicle crashes in 2024, despite representing just 9% of the state’s population.
Students have until Friday, February 27, to visit TexasFootball.com and pledge to buckle up every time they enter a vehicle. The high school recording the most pledges wins the cash prize.
The partnership arrives as Texas grapples with teen driving fatalities. Last year, 132 young people aged 15-20 died in crashes while not wearing seat belts.
“Teens will shape our communities for years to come, but the simple choice to buckle up, or not, can be the difference between a bright future or a young life cut short,” TxDOT Executive Director Marc Williams said in a news release. “By instilling these habits now, we can help the next generation of Texas drivers make safe driving decisions for the rest of their lives.”
More than 1,500 high schools across Texas received invitations to participate in the challenge. The campaign forms part of TxDOT’s annual teen-focused Click It or Ticket initiative.
Transportation officials emphasized that unbuckled passengers risk ejection from vehicles or collision with other passengers during crashes, and fines of up to $200. The agency encouraged teens to “Drive like a Texan: Kind. Courteous. Safe.”
The contest runs through the end of the week, with the winning school announcement expected shortly after the February 27 deadline. However, as TxDOT noted in its campaign, “The real winners in the contest will be the students who are safer on the road because they always wear their seat belts.”
