The Governor’s Office of Highway Safety put on a presentation with NASCAR driver Chad Chastain at Crisp County High School on March 16, 2023. They talked about the importance of safe driving and to show why everyone should wear a seat belt on every trip. Students got the opportunity to ride the GOHS Seat Belt Convincer, watch the Rollover Simulator and see what happens to unbelted person inside a vehicle during a rollover crash.

The teen driving safety session is part of the “Protect Your Melon” seat belt safety campaign that Chad’s older brother Ross began more than five years ago. We got the opportunity to speak with Chad Chastain about their goal and message with the “Protect Your Melon” campaign. Chastain’s message is a reminder, especially to students in Crisp County to “put your seat belt on, not to be using your phone, or eating and pay attention to the road”. He mentions that, “it is such a small decision that can change yours, your families and friends lives”.

Robert Hydrick the Communications Director for the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety organized this event for the kids to help gain awareness and send out the message to, “wear your seat belt”. This was the first event that they have put on with the “Protect Your Melon” campaign, and the GOHS will be sponsoring the Xfinity Race. Hydrick said that, “In Georgia and across the United States an increase in traffic deaths, over half of the people killed in vehicle crashes were not wearing a seat belt”.  A report on rural road safety from the Governors Highway Safety Association last year found almost half of the nation’s fatal crashes from 2016 to 2020 happened in rural areas even though these areas account for just under 20 percent of the United States’ population.  In Georgia, 53 percent of persons killed in traffic crashes in the state in 2020 were not properly restrained. We also had the opportunity to speak with Roger Hayes, a director and teacher at the GOHS. His message is that, “Seatbelts are a very simple thing, we tell people all the time in takes 3 seconds to put on a seatbelt. It is the thing that will save your life in a crash every trip every time”. Thank you to Chad Chastain and the GOHS for coming to our community and spreading your message.