Battle of the Belt was developed to reduce the number of motor-vehicle-related injuries and fatalities among Missouri high school students by increasing their safety belt use. The program was originally brought to southwest Missouri by the Missouri Emergency Nurses Association and St. John's Hospital. In 2006, The Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety, in conjunction with American Family Insurance, took the competition statewide.

Schools compete to increase safety belt use among students, thereby saving lives. The tools students use during the competition, include:

• Educational campaign to increase safety belt use, with surprise observational safety belt surveys before and after the educational campaign to determine the change in safety belt use among the students.
• Creation of a 30-second video public service announcement (commercial) promoting safety belt use among young drivers.