Seat belts have saved over 374,300 lives since 1975. Yet, almost 10% of car passengers do not wear them. To bring awareness to this issue and remind individuals of the importance of wearing seat belts, National Seat Belt Day (November 14th) was established in 2019. To celebrate this year’s Seat Belt Day at Lenape, I interviewed someone from our school’s Heads Up, Eyes Forward team. 

If you are a Lenape senior, you have definitely heard of the Heads Up, Eyes Forward team. They are the students who give out safe driving bumper stickers at lunch and host contests to win gift cards and parking spots. But they do so much more for Lenape.

According to senior Max Hann, the Heads Up, Eyes Forward team promotes “safe driving through different events such as the Safe Trick or Treat in October” and they also “create PSAs and TikToks.” As around 25% of our school’s population drives, I think we can all agree that their safe driving campaign is very important.

Max’s favorite part of being a Heads Up, Eyes Forward team member is that he’s able to help others whilst doing something that he enjoys. Isn’t that the dream?

But how is one recruited for the Heads Up, Eyes Forward team? There are a few ways of joining the team, but Max became a member through being in LDTV (Lenape District Television) Option Two. If you have not heard of Option Two, it is a program offered by the district that allows students to earn “credit for learning experiences outside of the traditional classroom environment” through a variety of different opportunities. For the most part, seniors are the main participants of this program.

While this year’s National Seat Belt Day is over, it’s important to treat every day like it is this holiday. Safe driving should be practiced daily, not just on annual occasions. When you get into a car, you are not only responsible for your own life but also the lives of everyone else on the road. When you get into a car, your only responsibility is to drive safely and responsibly. Put your seat belt on. Keep your eyes on the road. Put that phone down. Nothing is worth risking your life over.

Always remember: “Keep your heads up and eyes forward. Drive safely.” — Max Hann