Seat belt use up at Southridge High

A new traffic safety program tested at Southridge High in Kennewick improved seat belt use among students by 15.6 percent, officials said.

The Click it and Ticket program was put on by the Washington Traffic Safety Commission. Police officers and student leaders gave "tickets" for using good judgment to teens who came to school buckled up. Those students became eligible for prizes.

 There were four ticket days in January and February. Pro-seat belt posters also were put up at the school and traffic safety videos were shown, according to a news release from the commission.

A recent survey by the commission showed seat belt use was at 96.9 percent at the school, compared with 81 percent before the program, the release said.

Two other high schools without the seat belt program also were surveyed, and seat belt use went down among those students between October and March, the release said.