{"id":19234,"date":"2002-08-21T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2002-08-21T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2002\/08\/21\/coalition-forms-to-promote-safety-belt-usage\/"},"modified":"2002-08-21T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2002-08-21T05:00:00","slug":"coalition-forms-to-promote-safety-belt-usage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2002\/08\/21\/coalition-forms-to-promote-safety-belt-usage\/","title":{"rendered":"Coalition forms to promote safety belt usage"},"content":{"rendered":"

Susanna Von Essen, M.D., knows the importance of buckling up – even on the shortest of trips.<\/p>\n

It was a lesson she learned years ago, while a medical student at Washington University in St. Louis. Driving home late after studying, she recalls: “I didn’t think I had to put my safety belt on because it was a short distance.” \"picture <\/p>\n

But in that one-mile trip, a car hit her vehicle and Dr. Von Essen’s head struck the rear view mirror.<\/p>\n

“I was fortunate,” Dr. Von Essen said. “It’s so tragic when people lose their lives so needlessly when all they need to do is something as simple as putting on a safety belt.”<\/p>\n

Dr. Von Essen and Robert Muelleman, M.D., professor of surgery at UNMC and medical director of NHS emergency services, are members of a statewide coalition geared to educate drivers and passengers about the importance of buckling up in all positions of the vehicle. The “Click It – Don’t Risk It” coalition is presenting a statewide awareness campaign with the goal of saving lives by increasing safety belt usage to 80 percent by 2004.
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