Father, daughter share story through 'Get it Together - Buckle Up' campaign

Jennifer Stehlar says she is alive today because her father made her wear her seatbelt on Sept. 10, 2005.

Stehlar, Mrs. New York American Beauty 2008 and a South Buffalo resident, and her father, Michael Daniel, an Angola resident, nearly died in a car accident that day when a driver made a lefthand turn into their vehicle, which was traveling at the posted 55-mph speed limit.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, every five seconds there is a car crash and every 12 minutes there is a death from an accident. Fifty-nine percent of occupants killed were unrestrained, and 50 percent would be alive had they used their safety belts.

Stehlar and her father are part of this statistic - they survived because they were wearing their seatbelts, and their story is detailed in the "Get it Together - Buckle Up" public awareness campaign commercials, being aired on television and radio spots throughout the state.

The superintendent of the NYS Police, Preston Felton, will visit Buffalo on Nov. 7 to hold a press conference to officially announce Stehlar's partnership in educational efforts for safe driving awareness. Buckle Up New York, a statewide, zero-tolerance enforcement effort coordinated by the State Police and the Governor's Traffic Safety Committee to increase safety restraint use in New York State, will run Nov. 12-25.

In addition to the 2005 near-fatal crash, Stehlar was injured in her first-ever car accident in October 2004. As a result of the accidents, Stehlar lives with the effects of a closed head injury and severe temporomandibular joint disorder. Her father, 48, has sold all of his businesses and has more than eight herniated discs in his back as well as other injuries. He continues to search for a doctor who can give him relief from what Stehlar describes as "a state of constant horrific pain."

"People don't understand that their actions have consequences," she said. "My father and I were out for a nice day together, enjoying the beautiful day, when the actions of an impatient driver ended our lives in many ways."

Stehlar added that she is grateful to the police and first responders who rescued her and her father.

Stehlar, whose Mrs. New York American Beauty platform is safe driver awareness, has been working with Sgt. David Miller of Troop A, New York State Police to travel the state and share her story. After telling Miller about her experience, Stehlar said he immediately asked if he could put her on a three-way call to Albany, as the Governor's Traffic Safety Committee was looking for a true story for its newest campaign.

"After working with him now for over five months, I have found that these state troopers, including Sgt. Miller, are more than law enforcement," Stehlar said. "They truly are people that have a passion to save lives and live it each and every day. I will be forever grateful to Sgt. Miller, who allowed my father and I the opportunity of a lifetime - taking a tragedy in our life and using it for the greater good of our state."

For more information on safe driving, the Get it Together - Buckle Up campaign or to view the commercial, visit www. mrsny2006. com.