News Releases

Owens Partners With UMTI, NHTSA for Seat Belt Usage Campaign

Owens Community College is partnering with the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) and the U.S. Department of Transportation National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to implement a short-term seat belt use promotion program to encourage their use by motorists on campus.

The promotion program will be introduced in February on the Toledo-area Campus and include social media posts, tables with giveaways and information set up around campus, a website and internal communications to support the campaign.

UMTRI conducted an initial observation of seat belt usage on campus and found that 80.4% of drivers used a seat belt, compared to the overall Ohio usage rate of 85.2% and a national usage rate of 91.2%.

“Given that seat belts are the most effective safety measure to prevent injury and death in motor vehicle crashes, the survey results highlight an important opportunity to strengthen safety on campus,” said Dr. Blake Renner, Owens vice president of Enrollment Management and Student Affairs.

Various departments at Owens are assisting in the campaign, including Student Life, Public Safety and Strategic Marketing and Communications.

Along with the promotional campaign, the research team will conduct periodic, unobtrusive surveys on campus to evaluate the outcomes of the program and conduct structured interviews to assess how the program was implemented and perceived.

While trying to increase seat belt usage at Owens, a goal of the program is to develop and evaluate a seat belt use promotion program that can be used by other universities and colleges.

More information on the program can be found at buckleupowens.com.