"Buckle Up Brockton" campaign aims to improve one of worst seat belt usage rates in Massachusetts
BROCKTON - Brockton has one of the worst seat belt usage rates in Massachusetts. City leaders are hoping a newly developed program changes that.
The message is being put out by the Community Voices Program. The campaign "Buckle Up, Brockton" was created with local community groups, MassDOT, and the National Road Safety Foundation to tackle a critical issue in the city.
"For the first time we actually went out and really blasted this throughout the city to make it a true campaign," Brockton City Council President and Councilor-At-Large Moises Rodrigues said.
"Buckle Up, Brockton"
Rodrigues is one of the city's leaders who over the course of six months went out into the community to build a message that would inspire city residents to change their behavior.
"It's community born, it's not a dictation that came from the state level," said Rodrigues.
A stunning mural wall is at the heart of the campaign, located on the Boulangerie Saint Antoine Bakery on North Main Street.
"Together we were able to put together a piece that represents everyone in Brockton," added the mural's artist, Jessica Picanzo.
Message in multiple languages
Picanzo says the project was a labor of love. It took the Brockton native a week and a half to paint working sunup to sundown.
"This is such an amazing opportunity to be able to put art up in my community and also spread a positive message of wearing your seat belt and protecting your loved ones," she said.
Messaging on the mural features the most spoken languages across Brockton. The goal was for the city to feel a sense of ownership over the project.
"We had Cape Verdean folks, Portuguese and Spanish speakers, and Haitian Creole speaking residents coming together to devise a message. Something we felt the city would correlate around," Rodrigues said.
Brockton's low seat belt usage rate
In the city just 42% of drivers use their seat belt, now that's starting to change. Rodrigues believes the connection the community feels to this message has more residents choosing to buckle up.
"You're thinking well let me wear my seat belt so I don't get a ticket, versus let me wear a seat belt because it might save my life," he said.
The campaign message also correlates with the curriculum taught at public elementary schools in Brockton.
The hopes is that this Community Voices program can serve as a model for other areas facing similar road safety challenges.