Perfect.
Students at three high schools in Cole County recently posted three of the state's seven perfect scores in a roadway safety competition.
We congratulate students at Calvary Lutheran, Russellville and Cole County R-V high schools for acing the statewide Battle of the Belt contest.
High scores in this discipline are important because they translate into preventing injuries and saving lives.
Battle of the Belt - sponsored by Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety and American Family Insurance - is an education program designed to increase seat belt use.
The challenge includes an initial surprise safety belt check, followed by a peer-designed educational blitz and a final surprise safety belt check to determine if a change of behavior occurred.
As regional winners, the schools will receive $500, along with a banner and plaque that commemorates their accomplishment.
Also in the Central Region, which included 43 participating high schools, Fatima, Iberia and Belle received banners for 91 percent and above seat belt use.
The achievements were announced days before the Missouri Highway Patrol kicks off an enforcement campaign from Sunday through March 31 to "crack down on unbelted drivers and save lives," according to Col. Ron Replogle, patrol superintendent.
Replogle reported only 67 percent of Missouri teens buckle up, and nearly eight of 10 unbuckled teen vehicle occupants were killed in the past three years. The ratio improves only slightly - to seven out of 10 - when all vehicle occupants are included.
The patrol notes teens are most likely to follow the example of parents who buckle up on a regular basis. A virtue of the Battle of the Belt competitions is that teens may begin to set an example for their parents.
Clearly, teens and their parents have a reciprocal responsibility when it comes to modeling safety through the simple act of buckling a seat belt.