PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION

Motor vehicle crash injuries are a major cause of morbidity and mortality among Native Americans and are the leading cause of death for Native Americans between the ages of 0-9 years. The 1995 U.S. Motor Vehicle Crash Death Rate was 19 per 100,000 people, but for the Yakama Nation it was 140 per 100,000. From September 1997 to October 1998, 12 percent of the 6,258 emergency room visits by Native American patients were related to motor vehicle crashes, costing the area hospital hundreds of thousands of dollars.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

The goals of this project were to:

• Form the Yakama Nation Occupant Protection Coalition to address occupant protection on and around the reservation and promote the passage of a primary (standard) seat belt law for the tribe

• Research Idaho, Oregon, and Washington primary seat belt laws and enforcement; gather information on the 42 tribes in these three states; and collect information pertaining to nationwide tribal primary seat belt laws

• Develop an operation plan and agenda for the passage of the law

• Set a fine for not being restrained in a motor vehicle, establish an enforcement policy, and develop a tribal resolution

• Present oral testimony and share written information with the Tribal Council

STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES

In 1996, the Maternal Child Health Program and Office of Environmental Health implemented a distribution program of infant/child safety seats including booster seats. The program had a hands-on classroom educational setting that was set up at regularly scheduled times during prenatal visits. The results showed that only 10 percent of the population used infant/child safety seats and that infant cradle boards were frequently found in vehicles.

During 1997-1998, observational surveys were conducted to determine the numbers of drivers and passengers buckling up at sites on and around the Yakama Nation located near Yakima, Washington. With a year of concentrated public awareness and an education campaign, seat belt usage increased from 17 to 41 percent, but still remained well below the national use rate of 68 percent.

The Yakama Nation Occupant Protection Coalition (YNOPC) was formed in the Fall of 2000, to research and gather information on primary (standard) seat belt laws. A month prior to the Full Tribal Council vote, the Coalition held briefings for the key Tribal Committees, acquainting them with statistics of current seat belt use, and the high economic costs and number of emergency room visits to the area hospital. Miss Yakama Nation made presentations to the Indian Clubs Responsible Student Drivers Campaign at area high schools. A demonstration on correct infant/child safety seats generated a lengthy discussion on a primary seat belt law.

In December 2000, the Yakama Nation Occupant Protection Coalition made a presentation to the Tribal Council that included oral testimony and background information, as well as the draft Resolution for a primary (standard) seat belt law to be added to the “Law and Order Code Manual”.

The Yakama Nation leadership passed a primary seat belt law by a vote of 10 to 0, with recommendations to give the primary law a one-year transition in the community by immediately educating the public. Awareness activities included special hands-on child safety seat installation clinics by certified technicians, public service announcements on a tribal-owned radio station and newspaper, and posters and permanent signs/billboards on the Yakama Nation Roads. Also at the time of the vote, a motion was made to allow half of the money collected from the primary seat belt law fines to go towards a budget to purchase child safety seats for distribution as a part of the Maternal Child Health Program. As a part of the successful passage of the tribal primary seat belt law, the Tribal Council required one verbal warning, one written warning, and then a citation of a fine of $47.00.

RESULTS

The Yakama Tribal culture is very rich in protecting children and valuing human life. Many Yakama people, including the young adults of Indian Clubs at the five local high schools, participated in the three-year project leading up to passage of the law. The coalition did not receive any type of funding – all of these individuals gave their time freely and are committed to saving lives. Those given credit for their work for the successful passage included the Yakama Nation, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Indian Health Services, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and the Washington State Traffic Safety Commission.

   FALL 2001