Sahuarita launches ‘Buckle for Bucks’

A community program is being launched to encourage teens to “buckle up” and drive safely.

Sahuarita Police officers, Department of Public Safety officers and the Green Valley Fire District — the “Buckle For Bucks” task force — will be distributing “click-it-tickets” to Sahuarita High School teens they catch wearing their seat belts.

Students then can enter the tickets in a raffle held every three months where they’ll have the chance to win a $250 cash prize, funded by donations from local businesses and individuals.

The program was sponsored by the S.T.O.P. committee (Sahuarita Teens Offer Prevention) after the tragic deaths of two Sahuarita High School students, in September of last year and this January, rocked the campus and brought the issue of teen-driver safety to the forefront.

“Parents and students have had enough,” said Marty Moreno, Town Council member and chairman of the committee. “We said: ‘What can we do to raise seat belt usage among our teens? What can we do to help send the message?’”

Sahuarita Police Chief John Harris introduced the idea in March at a special meeting held to address teen driver safety issues.

Harris said a similar program was successful in the Wyoming town where he was chief in the past. Students there named it “save your ugly face” and helped obtain donations of money and prizes that were given to teenagers who wore seat belts, he said.

So far, students have been receptive to the idea, Moreno said.

The Sahuarita Teen Advisory Council, formed last year to advise the Town Council on issues pertinent to young people, has been actively involved in the development of the program, along with SHS administration, S.T.O.P. committee members, and the law enforcement and fire entities participating.

“This is a true community effort if I ever saw one,” she said.

Officers and firefighters have the click-it-tickets in their response vehicles and can issue them any time and anywhere in the area. Tickets will be handed out at the high school before and after school on random days until May 22 — graduation day.

Teen drivers with belted passengers receive two tickets, and their passengers are also recognized.

“This will help generate good habits in the freshman and sophomores before they start driving,” said Moreno. who says she is working to develop a similar program for middle school students and the community as a whole.

Buckle for Bucks will be ongoing, continuing throughout the summer and into the upcoming school year, she said.

For more information about the S.T.O.P. committee or how you can donate to Buckle for Bucks, call Marty Moreno at 520-648-2212.

jrichardson@gvnews.com | 547-9726