TxDOT, UIL announce ‘Saved by the Belt’ seat belt challenge for Texas high schools

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AUSTIN, Texas - The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and the University Interscholastic League (UIL) are partnering for a high school seat belt challenge for Texas high school students.

In the initiative called Saved By The Belt, Texas teens are challenged to take a pledge to buckle up every time they get in a vehicle.

Win $5,000 for your high school

What we know:

Through Friday, Feb. 27, students can go to TexasFootball.com  to take a pledge to buckle up every time they get in a vehicle and UIL will provide a $5,000 prize to the school that receives the most pledges.

In the announcement of this partnership, TxDOT encouraged young teens to always "drive like a Texan: kind, courteous and safe." 

Texas teen driving statistics

(Photo: Alexandria Gilliott/Unsplash)

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By the numbers:

The partnership with the UIL is part of its annual teen-focused Click It or Ticket campaign, as students at more than 1,500 high schools across Texas have been invited to compete in the "Saved by the Belt" challenge. 

TxDOT points out that teens and young adults ages 15–20 make up nearly 9% of the Texas population but were involved in 19% of all motor vehicle crashes in 2024. 132 of the young people killed in those crashes were not wearing a seat belt at the time of their accident.

TxDOT on UIL partnership

What they're saying:

"Teens will shape our communities for years to come, but the simple choice to buckle up, or not, can be the difference between a bright future or a young life cut short," said TxDOT Executive Director Marc Williams. 

"By instilling these habits now, we can help the next generation of Texas drivers make safe driving decisions for the rest of their lives."

Wear a seat belt

Big picture view:

If you’re not buckled up, you could be ejected from the vehicle or even thrown into other passengers. When you buckle up, you protect yourself, and your fellow passengers, from serious injury or death.