Seat Belt Survivor Award
On February 7, 1983, the Utah Highway Patrol presented the first “Seat Belt Survivor Award” to one-year-old Skyler Westergard. Skyler’s mother, Shanna, from Garland, Utah, strapped her son into a child restraint device before her trip on January 5, 1983. Within minutes, a semi-truck slammed into the back of the Westergard vehicle. Trooper Doug Christiansen was certain that Skyler would have been seriously injured or killed had he not been in the child safety seat. The UHP created the “Seat Belt Survivor Award” to recognize survivors of serious accidents and encourage the use of safety belts. This program continues to this day.