From MODOT Central:

JEFFERSON CITY - Students at Calvary Lutheran High School in Cole County and Valley High School in Washington County have answered the challenge, scoring two of the state's four perfect scores in the statewide Battle of the Belt competition.

Battle of the Belt is an educational program where local high schools compete against each other to increase safety belt use and potentially save lives. The challenge involves an initial surprise safety belt check of students, followed by a peer-designed educational blitz and a final surprise safety belt check to determine if a change of behavior occurred. Of the 139 participating schools statewide, only four scored 100 percent seat belt use during the final check.

As regional winners, each school will receive $500. Valley High School also won central Missouri's regional award for the Most Improved Percentage in safety belt use by the end of the program. In addition, Potosi High School in Washington County finished third statewide and will receive $200 for its student-produced public service announcement encouraging seat belt use.

In all, 48 schools from the Central Missouri region participated in the Battle of the Belt program, a record for the region.

"We are very proud of the high school students who took part in this program and encouraged their peers to buckle up," said Dianna Johnson, coordinator for the Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety's Central Region. "Buckling up is one of your best defenses when riding in a motor vehicle."

The Battle of the Belt program is jointly sponsored by the Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety and American Family Insurance. American Family provided the prize money for the competition.

For more information, visit http://www.savemolives.com/ or call 800-800-BELT.