Five well-dressed pairs of Bloomington Kennedy High School students helped state law enforcement agencies turn their school's parking lot into a fashion runway Monday to remind Minnesotans to buckle up as the summer driving season approaches.
Kennedy High students wore prom attire as they formed a single-file parade of cars outside the school's main entrance. All of the students wore their seat belts and vowed they would do the same Friday, the day of their prom.
The auto catwalk helped the state Department of Public Safety launch its "Click It or Ticket" seat belt enforcement sweep from now through June 1. Memorial Day weekend, the traditional lead-in to the summer driving season, has historically been one of the deadliest periods on Minnesota roads.
Lt. Mark Peterson of the State Patrol said that a primary seat belt law -- one which allows police to stop motorists for that reason alone -- could help reduce fatalities. The Legislature rejected such a proposal in the recently ended session.
State officials said 22 people died last month in traffic crashes. Only seven were wearing seat belts. "If this many people died because of a disease, it would be national news," Peterson said. "We've become accustomed to traffic deaths. It's white noise, but they're just as dead."
The campaign's message wasn't lost on Kennedy High seniors Elias Rosas-Lee, 17, and Ashley Suapaia, 18, who participated in the procession. They said they have a friend who recently survived a car crash because he wore a seat belt.
"I get nervous without my seat belt," Suapaia said. "I always tell everyone to wear it when they ride with me."
Nationally, many teens aren't as diligent as Suapaia, especially if they're driving at night. In 2006, 68 percent of drivers and passengers ages 16 to 20 who were killed in car crashes at night were unbuckled.
