Amherst, Avon students win awards

Nine schools competed in the 2020 Buckle Up Bowl hosted by the Lorain County Safe Communities Coalition, which is conducted through Lorain County Public Health.

Buckle Up Bowl is a student-led competition that empowers students to impact the driving habits of their classmates, friends and family, according to a news release.

This year, the following high schools participated: Avon, Avon Lake, Columbia, Firelands, Keystone, Marion L. Steele, Midview, Oberlin and Wellington.

“The Buckle Up Bowl spreads the word about seat belt use because the messages come from the students, for the students,” said David Covell, health commissioner at Lorain County Public Health.

Student led campaigns included videos, social media campaigns and seat belt pledges in an effort to improve the school’s seat belt rate.

Typically, observational seat belt surveys are conducted before and after the campaign by Safe Communities Coalition members, according to the release.

This year, because of the novel coronavirus pandemic, Buckle Up Bowl was done virtually, with students submitting memes, videos and digital artwork to spread the word about wearing a seat belt to the Safe Communities Coalition to vote on online, the release said.

The winners of the 2020 Buckle Up Bowl was the Steele Junior and Senior class with their videos on wearing a seat belt – all done at a safe distance.

The 2020 Buckle Up Bowl runner-up is Alyssa from Avon High School with their meme, “Seat belts matter! There are no reruns in life!”

All entries can be viewed at LorainCountyHealth.com.

The winners are awarded a gift card courtesy of the Dominic Zunis Foundation.

A seat belt was not used in 50 percent of fatal crashes on Lorain County roads in 2019, according to the release.

For three decades, the Lorain County Safe Communities Coalition has worked to reduce traffic injuries and death on Lorain County roads.

Safe Communities Coalition continues to engage people about the importance of safe driving and remind everyone who gets behind the wheel to buckle up every trip, every time, according to the release.