PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
Each day, hundreds of
thousands of motor vehicle operators and passengers enter the United
States from Mexico, through border cities in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona,
and California. Observational surveys and studies indicate that, as
many as 90 percent of drivers and passengers entering at the border,
do not use seat belts or child safety seats.
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
In an effort to prevent
motor vehicle crash-related injuries in United States-Mexico border
communities, the Region 6 Office of the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA) developed the Buckle the Border initiative in
1999. Objectives of the project include the following:
- To design a Buckle
Up America! campaign specifically for the border communities
- To create a partnership
of local community officials and federal agencies on both sides of
the border
- To provide safety awareness
information in both English and Spanish to motorists crossing the
Mexico-United States border
STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES
Through
a unique joint partnership of federal agencies, Texas state officials
and local community officials, the Region 6 ONE DOT Intermodal Border
and Safety Team was created. Through the efforts of the team, a clear
message was sent that every person in every vehicle needs to be protected
from injury when entering the United States. Three simultaneous news
conferences kicked off the Buckle the Border campaign on June 3, 1999.
The campaign was supported through teamwork between the U.S. Departments
of Transportation, Treasury, Justice, and Agriculture; the Texas Department
of Transportation; local Safe Communities agencies; area law enforcement
agencies; and the chiefs of enforcement for sister border cities. This
unique border event was featured during International Highway Transportation
Safety Week and was enhanced by several activities:
- Bilingual
Buckle Up America! signs were donated by NHTSA Headquarters
in Washington, DC, and were placed at approximately 125 entry points
on the Texas-Mexico border
- Federal,
state, and local agencies from both sides of the border distributed
bilingual safety information fact sheets at the entry points
- Law enforcement
officials on both sides of the border pledged to increase occupant
protection education and enforcement activities
- Media coverage
of the Buckle the Border campaign was extensive. From both sides of
the border, radio, newspapers and 27 television stations recorded
the event. Every major news affiliate in Mexico and the United States
recorded Customs and Immigration Inspectors examining incoming traffic,
while inspectors from the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA)
Office of Motor Carriers and Mexican federal truck inspectors distributed
fact sheets
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