Ollie Otter, Nice to Meet You!

The Ollie Otter® Seat Belt and Booster Seat Safety Program was Developed by the Tennessee Road Builders Association and Tennessee Tech University as a solution to a serious problem: lack of seat belt and booster seat education to our youth at a critical age when good safety habits are formed. This program’s primary objective is to educate children in pre-K through 4th grade with interactive programs in elementary schools through sponsorship with Tennessee Highway Safety Office. The program develops a positive opinion towards seat belt and booster seat use in the minds of children, parents, and communities as a whole. It is the expectation of the Ollie Otter® Program to provide a safer environment for children every time they ride in a vehicle.

Ollie Otter is a river otter who is passionate about child passenger safety. He encourages proper seat belt and booster seat usage in his local communities. He is the size of an adult human, which is why he always wears his seatbelt! (Haha) Ollie is good friends with the Tennessee Roadbuilder’s Association, so he wears a bright orange TRBA shirt. Ollie Otter is always happy to jump out of the river to come and visit his friends to teach them all about how to be safe in and around cars and trucks! 

Our Mission

Our mission is to instill lifelong safety habits in the youngest members of our communities by providing comprehensive and interactive education on booster seat and seat belt use.

The Ollie Otter® Seat Belt and Booster Seat Safety Program was Developed by the Tennessee Road Builders Association and Tennessee Tech University as a solution to a serious problem: lack of seat belt and booster seat education to our youth at a critical age when good safety habits are formed. This program’s primary objective is to educate children in pre-K through 4th grade with interactive programs in elementary schools through sponsorship with Tennessee Highway Safety Office. 

The program develops a positive opinion towards seat belt and booster seat use in the minds of children, parents, and communities as a whole. It is the expectation of the Ollie Otter® Program to provide a safer environment for children every time they ride in a vehicle.

Ollie's History

A Star is Born
Ollie Otter is born! Happy birthday Ollie!
ARTBA
Ollie receives ARTBA award!
Ollie Launches Statewide
The Ollie Otter Program Launches Statewide, forging partnerships with THSO (formerly GHSO) and TCAT
THP with Ollie at TN Tech
Partnerships Grow
Partnerships Formed with TN Highway Patrol and Coordinated School Health
250,000
Ollie celebrates 250,000 High Fives with Governor Bredesen. Mississippi partnership
Ollie Alaska
Ollie goes North
Ollie Program expands to Alaska and Kentucky​
Celebrates 400,000
Ollie Celebrates reaching 400,000 with First lady Chrissy Haslam
Tropical Ollie
Ollie program launches in Florida
Halfway to a Million
500,000 High Fives & Ollie in Navajo Nation
West Coast Ollie
Ollie program launches in California
Ollie keeps making friends
Ollie in Wisconsin partnerships formed & with FCCLA & HOSA
Ollie turns 10!
Ollie celebrates 10 years by revisiting all welcome centers!
750,000 High Fives!
Celebrate
1,000,000 High Fives!
Ollie gives out his millionth high five and goes live with his online presentation program.
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2020
2006
Ollie Otter is Born
Happy Birthday, Ollie!
2006
2008
Ollie Launches Statewide
The Ollie Otter Program Launches Statewide, forging partnerships with THSO (formerly GHSO) and TCAT
2008
2009
Partnerships Grow
Partnerships Formed with TN Highway Patrol and Coordinated School Health
2009
2010
250,000!
Ollie celebrated giving 250,000 High Fives and launched the program in Mississippi
2010
2011
Ollie goes North
Ollie Program expands to Alaska and Kentucky
2011
2012
Tropical Ollie
Ollie program launches in Florida
2012
2013
Halfway to a Million
500,000 High Fives & Ollie in Navajo Nation
2013
2014
West Coast Ollie
Ollie program launches in California
2014
2015
Ollie keeps making friends
Ollie in Wisconsin Partnerships & Formed with FCCLA and HOSA
2015
2016
Ollie Turns 10
Happy Birthday, Ollie! It's been a great 10 years.
2016
2017
750,000 High Fives!
2017
2020
1,000,000 High Fives!
Ollie gives out his millionth high five and goes live with his online presentation program.
2020
Ollie Otter Child Safety Foundation

Spurred by the loss of three family members in a year, the wife of the incoming president of the Tennessee Road Builders Association had a passion to “do something” when she became president of the TRBA’s Ladies Auxiliary in 2006. That passion led the TRBA to support an initative to see what might be done. A program was designed based on a character-driven message to school children about seat belts and construction zones. The Ollie Otter school presentations focus on child passenger safety and injury prevention at an age appropriate level so kids can understand the importance of using a booster seat to make the grown up seat belt fit correctly.

For Organizations committed to child passenger safety (CPS) education and injury prevention, the Ollie Otter Program is a great resource for outreach and community interaction. Several groups across the nation have incorporated the program into their CPS programs. Ollie’s materials have been adapted to highlight the NHTSA recommendations for child passenger safety so they can be used to promote best practices for any state or organization. Invite Ollie to your state today. Don’t wait!

Ollie in Tennessee

The Ollie Otter Seat Belt and Booster Seat Safety Program visits all 95 counties in Tennessee and completes over 350 school presentations and community events annually. Currently there are over 20 Ollie Otter mascots active across the state. Ollie partners include child passenger safety technicians and injury prevention specialists along with approximately 300 trained seat belt safety advocate volunteers to implement the programs in the local community. The program is a perfect fit for service learning opportunities and volunteer organizations. Since 2007, Ollie has handed out over 1.1 Million High Five’s across Tennessee sharing the seat belt and booster seat safety education message.

Percent of Children Restrained in Crashes: 2016-2020

Sponsor Ollie

Thank you for supporting the Ollie Otter Program!

There are still many opportunities to support the Ollie Otter Seat Belt and Booster Seat Safety Program in your community to share child passenger safety and injury prevention information.

Community education can be accomplished by sponsoring and installing “Under 4’9″ – Booster Time!” signage in your school or business pick-up lines.

Donate to the Ollie Otter Child Safety Foundation through TRBA

Monetary donations can be made through the Ollie Otter Child Safety Foundation at:

TN Road Builders Association offices

213 5th Ave. N.

Nashville, TN 37219

Ollie's Friends in Tennessee

Partnerships are vital to the success of the Ollie Otter® Program. ​The program is a public-private partnership supported by several state and local agencies and private businesses. Click the icons to find out more information about the partners. 

Special Support