What Is Gear Up, Buckle Up?
Gear Up, Buckle Up (GUBU) is an initiative of Safe Kids Buckle Up with the goal of decreasing accidental childhood injury among tweens and young teens in Alachua County, Fla., by increasing seatbelt use and proper traffic safety habits.
Bringing GUBU to You!
If you are a middle-school student in Alachua County, the Safety Referees may be invading your school soon. Check out our "Playbook" for more information!
More Event InformationQuick Plays
In 2003, 1,591 child occupants ages 14 and under died in motor vehicle crashes.
Research shows children are 40 percent more likely to be injured in a front seat than if they had been seated in the back.
Novice teen drivers are 3 times as likely to have unrestrained child passengers.
One out of every five 16-year-olds will be involved in a motor vehicle crash.
Male teens continue to lag behind female teens in seat belt use.
Sources: FARS, Safe Kids, tweensafety.org, PCPS.
Why Is It Important To Me?
More than one tween passenger age 8 through 12 is killed in a motor vehicle crash every day and three times as many are injured.
Whether it's practice or the championship game, a car-ride down the street or an extended road trip, make sure you Gear Up, Buckle Up every time.
In any sport or game you have to play by the rules in order to win, and the first step to playing by the rules is to know what they are.
In Florida, it is the law for the driver and all passengers to wear their seatbelts.
Penalty, flag on the play!
Police, the referees of the road, can ticket drivers $30 for unrestrained passengers.
Even for a 5-yard drive
In the U.S., 80 percent of traffic fatalities occur within 25 miles of home and under 40 miles an hour.
And since half of all crashes happen 5 to 10 minutes from home, you need to use seat belts all the time, no matter how long the trip is.
Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
