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Two State High students to present 'Belt Buddy' project for a chance to win $6,000 prize

CENTRE COUNTY, Pa. (WTAJ) — Two State College Area High School students came up with an idea to encourage drivers to use seatbelts more, and now they are competing for a $6,000 prize. The competition is through the PennDOT Innovations Challenge. This year, students were asked to develop a cost-effective, innovative solution to help PennDOT more effectively increase motorist awareness of seat belt safety. Kali Nicolas and Maya Toyokawa submitted their idea called 'Belt Buddy.' This is proposed as a mobile app that tracks your seatbelt usage. The app would detect seat belt chimes to determine if the occupants are belted in. 'We want to encourage drivers to get people that are in their car as well as passengers to wear their seat belts more,' Toyokawa said. The two students presented their idea and were selected as the winners in the Clearfield-based, nine-county region. The app would also have a point system and remind users of their streak of wearing a seat belt. The two students say this can create an opportunity for friendly competition. 'This can help people encourage their friends to wear seatbelts. So not only is the app encouraging it, but it's encouraging other people to tell other people to wear their seatbelt,' Nicolas said. 'It seems like we need an app for almost anything these days. But they took it a step further by bringing the competition aspect to it. They want the results to be visible to friends, and they want you to be able to see your friends' results so you can compete just like people compete to get their steps in,' Safety Press Officer for PennDOT District 2, Steve Harmic said. On average, more than 350 unrestrained fatalities occur on Pennsylvania's roadways annually. And as new drivers, the two students are pushing their peers to buckle up. 'When you start driving, it's not just yourself that you're driving, but anyone that's in the car, you are responsible for as well. So, you want to make sure that they're safe,' Toyokawa said. The two will present their 'Belt Buddy' project to the PennDOT Secretary and a panel of judges on April 30 for a chance to win the $6,000 prize. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.