Kayla Thrasher was about to pull away from Urbana High School in her truck on a recent afternoon.

But before she did, she fastened her seat belt. She always wears it, she said. It's something her parents have always encouraged her to do.

On this afternoon, wearing her seat belt got the Urbana senior a free music download and a road map.

The Urbana High School chapter of Operation Cool – a program aimed at promoting seat belt use among teen drivers – was handing out the freebies to students who were wearing their seat belts.

The program is in six local high schools – Urbana High School, Central and Centennial in Champaign, and St. Joseph-Ogden, Unity and Heritage high schools.

Last year, the program at the high schools was called Operation Click, a statewide program based in Crystal Lake. This year the schools began using Operation Cool, based on a teen driver safety program offered by the Illinois State Police years ago, said Brandon Thomas, the Champaign police officer assigned to Central High School, who works with Operation Cool. The group wanted to make the program more local, with decisions made by a board familiar with area high schools and programming supported by local businesses.

The substance of the program hasn't really changed. It encourages teens to use their seat belts by offering incentives, such as restaurant coupons, gas cards or car washes.

Students at participating schools are asked to sign a contract early in the school year, pledging to wear their seat belts, not get any traffic tickets, and not drink and drive. Those who follow through are eligible to be selected for the grand prize drawing for a car.

Nick Hoffman, a senior at Urbana High School and co-president of the school's chapter of Operation Cool, was handing out the music downloads this week. He said he got involved with the program last year because he thought it would look good on his college applications.

But he likes it, and he thinks it's helping his classmates understand the importance of wearing seat belts. Hoffman said he always buckles up, and he won't drive until all the other people in his car do so as well. Like Thrasher, he grew up with parents who always made him wear his seat belt.

"The three seconds it takes to put on your seat belt can save your life," he said. "I know people who don't really think about it, don't put it on. (The program's incentives) just give them a friendly reminder."

Urbana High School started off its first seat belt check last year with about 75 percent of students in cars wearing their seat belts. This year, the number at the first compliance check was almost 89 percent, said Randy Blackman, a drivers' education teacher at the high school.

"Through habit, it becomes second nature," Blackman said. "For a lot of people, not wearing a seat belt feels uncomfortable and unsafe. It's just they need to get in the habit of it."

Centennial High School has many more students participating this year – more than 400, compared with about 250 last year. And more were wearing their seat belts at the first compliance check this year – 92 percent, compared to 77 percent last year, said Jay Huffman, a drivers' education teacher at Centennial.

"I really don't hear talk of, 'Oh, I don't care if I wear it.' Where I see results is where I see kids out in the parking lot putting them on," he said.

Lou Sitch, a drivers' education teacher at Central High School, believes students wear their seat belts more than adults sometimes give them credit for. And parents are big influences, he said. When Sitch has done seat belt checks on the streets around the school, he's noticed the parents dropping off their kids at Central, and he said 90 percent of the parents are wearing seat belts.

Part of what makes the Operation Cool program beneficial is that activities are led by students, said Judy Rothermel, a drivers' education teacher at St. Joseph-Ogden High School. "When their peers are telling them, they are more likely to go along with it."

Having a St. Joseph-Ogden student win one of the cars last year also helped. Jenna Frerichs won a 2008 Pontiac Grand Prix.

"Now that someone's actually won the car in our school, everyone is hearing more about (Operation Cool) and think it's important," said Frerichs, a high school senior. She added that all of her friends wear their seat belts.