A group of high school students from Fort LeBoeuf School District in Erie County won the regional Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Innovations Challenge with their project "Buckle Buddies." The project aims to address the issue of unbelted fatalities on Pennsylvania’s roads. The competition, aligned with the priorities of the Shapiro Administration, encouraged young people to come up with creative solutions to improve transportation safety and promote seat belt use, according to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Cody Patton's students—Austin Mushrush, David (Vincent) Olmstead, and Trenton Cancilla—created an app with a rewards system to promote seat belt use, offering points for discounts. The goal is to reduce the over 350 annual fatalities in Pennsylvania caused by not wearing seat belts. Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Secretary Mike Carroll stated, "More than 90 percent of the unbelted travelers who died in crashes on our roads last year could have been saved by seat belts," and added, "In a crash, a seat belt can mean the difference between life and death. We need to reach our drivers and riders with that message." This project is part of the state's efforts to improve road safety, as reported by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania students created the "Buckle Buddies" app to promote seat belt use and reduce unrestrained fatalities. As regional winners, they will present the app to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Secretary and a judging panel in April for a chance to win part of a $6,000 prize, as stated by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
