PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
Throughout the multi-jurisdictional
area encompassing the city of Richmond, Virginia, unintentional injuries
remain the dominant health threat to children 14 years old and younger,
and motor vehicle crashes are the primary cause of injuries and death.
More than 469 Richmond area children in this age group were injured
in 1998, costing more than $3.4 million in emergency hospital visits
alone. The majority of these injuries and deaths occur to children living
in the inner city, introducing a unique set of issues related to the
problem.
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
The goal of the First
Annual Endicott Community Association Bike Rodeo and Safety Festival
injury prevention project, conducted in 1999, was to reduce traffic-related
injuries and fatalities in Richmond, Virginia's inner city community.
Objectives of the project included:
- Identifying specific safety
problems within the Richmond community
- Creating a vehicle through
which the community might collaborate in solving the problem
- Developing an ongoing
safety awareness education effort
STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES
The Endicott
Community Association, located in Richmond's inner city, took the lead
in developing the primary strategy for the safety project, by creating
a public-private partnership, the Community Traffic Safety Network.
In collaboration with this network of more than 25 organizations, the
Endicott Community Association assessed the safety needs of the community,
identified unique issues, and developed an action plan for meeting the
goal of the injury prevention project. The action plan proposed the
development of a year-long program of inner city educational and awareness
projects, featuring a kick-off of the program with an all-day community
Bike Rodeo and Safety Festival. Due to the far-reaching influence of
the membership of the Network, the following activities planned for
the Bike Rodeo and Safety Festival were instrumental in the success
of the injury prevention project:
- An interactive
traffic safety tour instructed community children and their care givers
on various safety issues
- Children
entered a traffic safety hurdle, competing for a chance to win a trip
to Disney World
- More than
350 children were given free school supplies and book bags
- A focus
group of 75 children developed an original cartoon character, Tim
Tation, a wise ant who promotes safety
- Over 325
children were provided free bicycle helmets, and 200 reconditioned
bicycles were offered inexpensively
|