Bears buckle up best

On one of the first truly glorious outdoor days of the season, a mixed team from St. Joseph-Scollard Hall reclaimed bragging rights in the eighth edition of the Buckle Up Challenge, held Wednesday afternoon at the waterfront. The Bears defeated a boisterous and spirited squad from Chippewa that was no match for the clinical performance and precision of their rivals.

The event consists of teams of five filling the seats in a Subaru (graciously provided by Gold Fleet). The five teammates then take turns switching seats after exiting the vehicle then frantically running around the car,  making sure to correctly fasten their seatbelts as they make their way around until they have sat in all five positions. The event was timed and judged for safety by members of the North Bay Police Service and Pat Cliche of the Ontario Injury Prevention Resource Centre.

Chippewa was the defending champion in the event. The school won the last competition in 2015, in conjunction with a Mock Crash performance at Memorial Gardens. In 2009, in the first Buckle Up Challenge, Chippewa narrowly defeated Scollard Hall, but in 2017 the tables were turned.

The event is designed to raise awareness (see below) about proper seatbelt usage, as well as potential penalties for declining to wear a seatbelt and the fines for improper usage of seatbelts by young passengers. The Buckle Up Challenge is organized and sponsored by the Connection Community Partners in Injury Prevention, under the umbrella of the Ontario Injury Prevention Resource Centre and Parachute Canada.

Partners for the Buckle Up Challenge include the North Bay Police Service, the MTO's Road Safety Marketing Office, and the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit.

Seatbelt tips:

• Do wear your seatbelt so that it crosses your chest and your lower hips; these areas of the body are better able to resist the force of a crash.
• Do make sure you have one working seatbelt for every person in your vehicle.
• Don’t wear any part of your seatbelt twisted; a twisted seatbelt won't spread the force of a crash across your body to protect you properly.
• Don’t put the shoulder strap under your arm or behind your back.

If you are pregnant, you still need to wear a seatbelt. You should:

• wear both the lap and shoulder belt;
• sit as upright as possible; and
• wear the lap belt low so it pulls downward on your pelvic bones and not across your stomach.

Seatbelt fines:

If you are driving, you can face a fine if you or anyone in your vehicle under age 16 is not wearing a seatbelt or secured in a proper child seat. If you are convicted, you will be fined between $200 and $1,000 and receive two demerit points. You can also be fined for having a broken seatbelt, even if it is not being used when you're stopped by a police officer.