Belleville Students Look to S.T.O.M.P. Out Distracted Drivers

Belleville High School want their fellow drivers to stay focused on the road when behind the wheel.

This month, students at Belleville High took part in the Brain Injury Alliance of New Jersey's third Annual U Got Brains Champion Schools Program.

In the contest, students develop campaigns aimed at educating teens about the importance of safe driving.   

S.T.O.M.P. (Students Taking Out Measures of Prevention) Out Distractive Driving was the focus of Belleville’s campaign. Teen drivers are distracted by their passengers and pressured by peers to drive unsafely and Belleville students cautioned their peers “don’t let someone bully you into breaking the law.

Belleville High students took distracted driving surveys to measure the impact of the campaign.  Studens competed in a classroom door-decorating contestand designed T-shirts and videos.  The high school morning show sent out safe driving tips, frightening statistics and classes voted for Belleville’s campaign on line which focused on Stomping out Distracted Driving from both the driver’s and the passengers’ points of view.

The Belleville Fire Department hosted a community day event to inform the public and involve them in our STOMP campaign. A crushed car was displayed in front of the school the week before Prom to drive the message home.  Driving + Texting = A Grave Message  

This public safety campaign was the joint effort of the Belleville High School's FCCLA, The Safety Team, the CTE Department, Mass Communication, Graphic Arts, Drivers Education Classes, Middle States Committee and the Belleville Fire Department. The Brain Injury Alliance of New Jersey and New Jersey Manufactures Insurance Group along with New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety, and the Allstate Foundation sponsored this educational program.

 Belleville High School FCCLA Leadership Team, led by Sara Franken, president and their adviser, J. Worster, attended the Champion School’s Program Award Presentation on June 7. Presentations were made to the public and Belleville High School was awarded a Driving Simulator from New Jersey Manufacturers Insurance Company. This stimulator is valued at $21,000 and will be arriving at Belleville High School in October 2013.

The students who led the STOMP education campaign were ecstatic with the results but emphasized that because the entire school participated, it was a win for everyone.