A local high school teacher, Mr. Billy Kemp started the Be in the Click® as a school-based, seat belt awareness program to increase the use of seat belts among teenage drivers and passengers. Kemp envisioned his program when his school had suffered the loss of three students to auto accidents in just four years. None of teenagers had worn their seat belts. Be in the Click®? would change this. Designed to promote seat belt use among all age groups, Be in the Click® encourages seat belt use as a mandatory part of driving that will lessen dramatically not only injuries, but also deaths in serious automobile accidents.

The school-based segment of the program utilizes student leadership with adult sponsors to convey the program message. The program also utilizes a wide panoply of strategies and media to reinforce the safety-first message, including cards, positive peer pressure, incentives, curriculum infusion, and awareness campaigns. Further reinforcement comes through assemblies, contests, and intramural activities. Be in the Click® has spread to 27 counties and 75 schools across Tennessee, Mississippi, and Kansas. Via school implementation alone, Be in the Click® has reached over 65,000 students.

Yet, Kemp would not settle for limiting his safety agenda to just a few regional schools. In fact, the community service project includes cross-age mentoring to feeder schools (high to middle, middle to elementary), and public awareness campaigns with media blitzes (including public service announcements, billboards, announcements, etc.). The program has availed itself of institution-to-institution presentations and business partnerships as well.

Mr. Billy Kemp has an obvious sense of mission, a passion even, for this program and its goal of saving lives. He takes no compensation for his efforts. He relies solely on donations from the community to help his efforts. As a teacher, Mr. Billy Kemp makes a huge difference in the community by helping to lessen injuries while saving lives of those involved in serious automobile accidents.

To learn more about Billy Kemp and his cause, and how you can make a difference please visit:
www.beintheclick.com.

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