Seat Belt Mobilization
The Idaho Seat Belt Coalition gained statewide recognition as a result of participating in the November Seat Belt Mobilization. In addition to the paid media campaign, the mobilization earned extensive print and broadcast news coverage.
State Farm Insurance Agency, proud member of the Seat Belt Coalition, incurred more than $4,000 in costs for advertisements and refrigerator magnets. The magnets included a seat belt safety message and were part of a safety packet distributed by Law Enforcement Liaisons to third grade students throughout the state of Idaho. The packets also included a Junior Officer Seat Belt Program instruction sheet, business cards and seat belt citations. The police officers toured many elementary schools in the gem state explaining to students the importance of buckling up. One officer reported a student brought her mother in to the police station because she wouldn?t pay the $5 ticket she was issued for not wearing her seat belt. The packets were also distributed to various police agencies for distribution at local Boys and Girls Clubs and to the driver?s education program for students obtaining their driver?s licenses.
Local television, cable television and select radio stations ran the seat belt advertisements sponsored by the Idaho Seat Belt Coalition. The coalition gained recognition as being a sponsor of the Seat Belt Mobilization as a result of news coverage regarding November’s increased officer patrols. The following newspapers ran the news release:
- Coeur d?Alene Press
- Idaho Press Tribune
- South Idaho Press
- Post Register
- Spokesman Review
- Blackfoot Morning News
- La Prensa Libre (Spanish newspaper)
The following broadcast news stations provided coverage of the mobilization:
- KIFI, Channel 8, Pocatello
- KIDK, Channel 3, Pocatello
- KLEW, Channel 3, Lewiston
- KMVT, Channel 11, Twin Falls
- KTVB, Channel 7, Boise
The seat belt mobilization owes a portion of success to the coalition’s efforts and sponsorship. The recognition received by the coalition will assist in obtaining coverage of the “Empty Shoes” event, which will occur in January. The “Empty Shoes” demonstration will provide information and education regarding fatalities that were a result of people not wearing their seat belts in Idaho. Stay tuned for information about ways you can help with the Idaho Seat Belt Coalition’s “Empty Shoes” event.