Class:
Not-For-Profit Promotion/Budget
Objective:
To increase awareness and usage of seat
belts on infants and small children.
Strategy and
Execution:
One week last
year, Pennsylvania police patrol officers were stopping drivers but
it was for a positive reason. In conjunction with Child Passenger
Safety Week throughout the state, officers stopped vehicles with
children and reminded the adult drivers of the importance of
"buckling up" children in seat belts To help reinforce the message,
a five-inch tall koala bear with an imprinted t-shirt (copy: "We
Love You. Buckle Up") was given to the infants and young passengers.
Newspaper articles and other publicity helped make the state's
drivers aware of the promotion.
Results:
Distribution of
the bears generated some positive public relations for the highway
patrol. Programs of this type have helped lead to increased use of
seat belts by all motorists, from 17 to 60 percent over the past
five years, according to the Keystone Safety Belt
Network.
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