Community Traffic Injury
Prevention Program (TIPP) NORTH CAROLINA
PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
The City of Charlotte in Mecklenberg County, North Carolina experienced the highest rate
of motor vehicle crashes and injuries per 1,000 population in 1989, with 76 motor vehicle
fatalities and more than 14,000 motor vehicle injuries. The loss in terms of dollars to
taxpayers was $267.5 million for the years 1987 through 1989. In spite of its significant
traffic crash problem, the community lacked a true collaborative community traffic safety
program.
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
The goal of the Community Traffic Injury Prevention Program (TIPP) was to reach beyond
the traditional parameters of the health care delivery system to address community traffic
and other injury-related problems. Specific objectives included:
Combining public/private sector resources to identify and address injury problems in
Mecklenberg and surrounding North Carolina counties
Using information gathering devices capable of significantly enhancing injury data
surveillance, epidemiological analysis and consistent evaluation
Measuring the impact of the TIPP targeted intervention in terms of reduced morbidity, mortality, disability and/or medical costs and acceptance
STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES
Under the leadership of the Carolinas Medical Center, the Charlotte Community TIPP was
implemented in 1988 through collaborative planning and resource support from many
public and private agencies. Several injury surveillance databases were accessed and linked
to help identify specific traffic crash and injury problems. Communities were then able to
develop programs that were more effective in addressing particular problem areas.
Community Traffic Injury
Prevention Program (TIPP) (cont'd)
For children and youth issues, TIPP personnel implemented a safety seat giveaway
program for children born in the Carolinas Medical Center, and developed a Safety Town
presentation, a KIDTIPS curriculum, and a K-12 Safety Education Curriculum that
provided traffic safety education and injury prevention tips to school children. TIPP also
included bicycle safety education programs in economically depressed areas and a THINK
FIRST program to prevent head injuries. In the area of substance abuse, TIPP initiated an
ENCARE program for high school students that delivered presentations on the risks
involved with using alcohol and the tragic results that often occur with drinking and
driving. Students were encouraged to organize Students Against Driving Drunk (SADD)
groups to underscore prevention efforts.
Enforcement initiatives implemented by the Charlotte Police Department, the Mecklenberg
County Police Department, the North Carolina Highway Patrol and the Carolinas Medical
Center included community education, increased enforcement and additional training for
police officers. Law enforcement officers, the Mecklenberg County Health Department
and some church groups implemented programs targeting elderly pedestrian problems. To
increase the use of occupant restraints, TIPP worked with NORTH CAROLINA SEAT
BELTS FOR SAFETY and the North Carolina Automobile Dealers Association to create a
"Safety First Program," training new car sales personnel on the use of automobile safety
features and automatic restraints. Mecklenberg County MEDIC presented the "Safety
First" program to area sales personnel.
RESULTS
TIPP efforts clearly contributed to a decline in injuries and fatalities in the Charlotte-Mecklenberg County area. Child restraint use in Charlotte reached 84.8 percent compared
to 71.1 percent in non-targeted cities. The Charlotte TIPP led to development of new
injury databases and expansion of its trauma treatment boundaries to provide services to
victims in South Carolina. A Community Resource Center was also developed, providing
traffic safety information to the community. TIPP created an unprecedented awareness of
the need for effective injury prevention programs and led to significant developments in the
approach to North Carolina' injury prevention strategies.