Delaware/Air Bag Safety: Buckle Up Everyone! Children in Back!

Air Bag Safety: Buckle Up Everyone!
Children in Back!

DELAWARE

PROJECT CHARACTERISTICS		PROGRAM AREA(S)
	High media visibility		Occupant Protection
	Outstanding collaborative effort

TYPE OF JURISDICTION
	State

TARGETED POPULATION(S)		JURISDICTION SIZE
	General Population		725,000

PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
The number of motor vehicles equipped with passenger-side air bags has increased dramatically in recent years; however, motorists have continued to permit young children to ride in the front seat of an automobile, placing children at risk of injury from deployment of the passenger-side air bag during a crash. Highway safety officials in Delaware recognized the need to increase public awareness of this serious risk.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
In an effort to raise public awareness concerning proper passenger protection for children, the Delaware Office of Highway Safety developed the Air Bag Safety: Buckle Everyone! Children in Back! program in April of 1997. Objectives of the program include:

Conducting a statewide public awareness campaign
Identifying private-sector sponsors of the campaign
Producing public information kits

STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES
The Delaware Office of Highway Safety developed a series of targeted strategies and activities to establish a successful public awareness campaign. These included the following:

The Office formed a partnership with the State Police and state Division of Public Health to serve as the public-sector component of the campaign
The Office also formed a partnership with a local billboard company and several automobile dealerships, which comprised the private-sector component of the campaign
The Division of Public Health and the billboard company are sponsoring a billboard campaign for six months, alerting the driving public to the risks of improper use of occupant protection for children. The campaign was implemented statewide, with the Division of Public Health co-sponsoring the campaign in the northern half of the state, and the automobile dealers co-sponsoring the campaign in the southern half of the state
A print media information kit was developed, complementing the artwork developed for the billboard campaign
A kick-off press conference was held to promote the program and officially recognize the contributions of the partnersthose private and public sponsors of over $16,000 in direct funding and in-kind gifts

RESULTS
Because this child passenger safety public awareness program was initiated in April of 1997, statistical results have not been collected or analyzed. However, the Delaware Office of Highway Safety has experienced a significant increase in public requests for air bag safety information.

FUNDING
	Section 402:	$13,000
	State Division of Health:	$8,000
	Billboard Rental:	$8,700
CONTACT
	Tricia Roberts Office of Highway Safety P.O. Box 1321 Dover, DE 19903 (302) 739-3295

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Summer 1997