Spring-Ford Area High School Wins ‘Seat Belt Challenge’

As Spring-Ford students head off after graduation on Friday, a majority of them took at least one thing away from their experiences in high school - to buckle up.

Spring-Ford Area High School won the 2012-2013 Seat Belt Challenge by having the highest percentage of students who buckled up enroute to school in the area, scoring a $500 check from the Montgomery County Health Department and Communitites in Motion, a GVF Transportation Management Association foundation.

In the fall, a survey found that 83 percent of Spring-Ford Area High School students were wearing seatbelts as they arrived to school, just under the 83.8 state average and ranking them fourth out of five area schools observed, including Pottstown, Upper Merion, Pope John Pau II, Wissahickon and Methacton.

In the spring, the same assessment found that 92 percent of the students wore seatbelts to school, giving them the highest percentage of the local schools – and earning them a $500 check.

Between the two surveys, the school held programs to increase the number of safety—conscious students, including "Survival 101: A Student’s Guide to Staying Alive," which is a multi-media presentation that covers unsafe driving practices, crash dynamics and preventative safety measures, presented in conjunction with the Limerick Township Police Department.

The high school also hosted “Chats with the Chief: Teen Driving,” in which parents were invited to an evening program regarding teen driving.

Spring-Ford Area High School also submitted three student-generated videos as part of the Seat Belt Challenge video contest. to raise awareness about seat belt use and distracted driving - click here to view them.

According to junior class principal Robert Colyer, the funds will to towards the Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) program at the school, which helped to coordinate the program.