'Do The Buckle' Campaign Drives Families to Buckle Up
9 December 1998
'Do The Buckle' Campaign Drives Families to Buckle Up During the Holidays
Campaign Brings Life-Saving Air Bag and Safety Belt Messages to Tallahassee
TALLAHASSEE, Fla., Dec. 9 -- During the holidays, more people
travel the nation's roadways than any other time of the year. So, it's
important to drive safely and take extra precautions to protect yourself, your
children and your friends while traveling. Research has shown that wearing a
safety belt and properly restraining children in the back seat is the most
effective way to reduce fatalities and serious injuries in a motor vehicle
crash. But still, many drivers and passengers do not wear them. In the state
of Florida, only 59 percent of drivers and passengers use safety belts,
10 percent below the national average, which is already low at 69 percent.
This holiday season, DaimlerChrysler's "Do the Buckle" team is touring the
United States reminding families about the importance of wearing safety belts
and buckling kids in the back seat.
Featuring a fleet of Chrysler, Dodge and Plymouth minivans, the tour
brings safety messages (wear your safety belt, kids in back, air bags save
lives) to schools, malls, day care centers and local events. The minivan
coordinators give safety demonstrations and show the "Do the Buckle" song and
dance (through a video) to a variety of audiences. A "Do the Buckle" minivan
will be in the Tallahassee market during the two next weeks.
"Motor vehicle crashes were the leading cause of death to children, taking
the lives of 2,087 children in the US in 1997," said Bielka Mora, a "Do the
Buckle" driver in the Tallahassee market. "Tragically, nearly half of these
children would be alive today if they had been properly restrained. Not only
that, but adults who don't buckle up send children a very deadly message.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), when
a driver is unbuckled, 70 percent of the time children riding in that vehicle
won't be buckled either. That's why we're in Tallahassee -- to remind
everyone to 'Do the Buckle.'"
The program's theme song, dance and video, "Do the Buckle," play off the
tune and lyrics from the '70s hit "Do the Hustle" and incorporate the motion a
person makes as they reach over their shoulder and across their torso to
buckle a safety belt. In the video, Bucky, a lively, animated character,
comes to life to help people of all ages understand the importance of safety
belts. The video also features an introduction by Bill Nye, the star of the
weekly Disney production "Bill Nye the Science Guy," and Robert J. Eaton,
DaimlerChrysler Chairman.
The exterior of the minivans feature colorful graphics and a variety of
safety messages. The interior is equipped with a monitor for viewing the
"Do the Buckle" music video and other safety videos.
A number of safety-minded companies are supporting the campaign including
Takata Inc., a manufacturer of safety belts, Continental Teves, a manufacturer
of antilock brake systems, and Autoliv, a manufacturer of air bags.
According to NHTSA, an estimated 5,500 lives could be saved each year by
increasing the level of safety belt usage in the United States to 90 percent.
Yet, only 69 percent of Americans wear safety belts. By contrast, Germany
stands at 95 percent. "Do the Buckle" is the second phase of
DaimlerChrysler's successful consumer education outreach, and supports
President Clinton's plan to increase safety belt usage to 90 percent by 2005.
Chrysler, Dodge and Plymouth minivans were the first to meet all 1998
passenger car safety standards, the first to provide driver and passenger air
bags, and the first with integrated, or built-in, child safety seats.
Family auto safety is as simple as A-B-C... Always Buckle Children in the
back seat and buckle yourself in, too. To learn more about "Do the Buckle" or
to have a minivan visit your town, call toll free 1-877-TOBUCKY
(1-877-862-8259).