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Benefit 'The Friends of Natalie'

Mother of late young woman forms group to raise awareness about seatbelt use

Fund-raising event set to benefit 'The Friends of Natalie'

By G. Michael Dobbs, Managing Editor

SPRINGFIELD The mother of the late Natalie DeLeon would like the untimely death of her daughter to remind people to support the use of seatbelts.

Beatriz Fuentes of Springfield has formed "The Friends of Natalie," which is affiliated with the Brain Injury Association of Massachusetts. The group is raising funds to rent a billboard urging seatbelt use and to bring a safety program into area schools.

The group will have a fund-raising dinner from 5 to 8 p.m. Oct. 26 at the Greek Cultural Center on Plainfield Street. The cost will be $12 and the evening will feature a full spaghetti and meatballs dinner, a performance by Dazzles Dance Studio of Springfield and a talk by a representative of the Brain Injury Association of Massachusetts. Tickets will be available at the door.

Tickets are also available in Springfield at Sportstuff on Sumner Avenue, Belmont Newsstand on Belmont Avenue, The Basketball Hall of Fame, Coconuts Bar and Grill on Dickinson Street and Shoenique on Bliss Road in Longmeadow.

DeLeon and her boyfriend was on her way to visit friends on July 2 when the car she was riding in rolled over on Carew Street. DeLeon was ejected from the car. She had just turned 21 years old and was not wearing a seatbelt.

The fatal accident spurred Fuentes and her two remaining daughters into forming a group to promote seatbelt use.

For more information, contact Fuentes at 782-8336 or by e-mail at nataliesseatbelt@aol.com.

Facts about Seat Belt use in Adults under 35 and Teens



In 2001, 64 percent of all 18- to 34-year-old passenger vehicle occupants who were killed or severely injured in crashes were not wearing safety belts. By comparison, among vehicle occupants age 35 and older who were killed or severely injured in crashes, 48 percent were not buckled up. [Fatality Analysis Reporting System, 2001 Annual Report File (ARF)].

In 2001, 68 percent of the 18- to 34-year-old male passenger vehicle occupants who were killed or severely injured in crashes were not wearing safety belts. Fifty-four percent of the women age 18 to 34 who were killed or severely injured in crashes were not buckled up. [Fatality Analysis Reporting System, 2001 Annual Report File (ARF)].

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for people age 15 to 24 in the United States. [National Center for Health Statistics, National Vital Statistics Report, 2002].

In 2001, 63 percent of 16- to 20-year-old drivers and passengers killed or seriously injured in crashes were not wearing a safety belt. [Fatality Analysis Reporting System, 2001 Annual Report File (ARF)].



~ National Highway Traffic Safety Administration