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PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
During 1995, in San Diego
and Imperial Counties, California, 40 children aged 14 and younger died
of unintentional injuries. Twenty-three (58 percent) of these deaths
resulted from motor vehicle crashes. This alarming statistic exceeds
the state average for vehicle-related crashes, in this age category,
by 7 percent.
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
The goal
of the KIDSAFE program was the reduction of traffic crash-related injuries
and fatalities in San Diego and Imperial Counties. Objectives of the
program included the following:
- To develop
an injury prevention program targeting children 14 years old and younger
- To focus
efforts on pedestrian/bicycle safety
- To create
a bi-cultural and bilingual approach in program design
- To specifically
target the El Cajon and El Centro communities within the two counties
STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES
California
traffic safety advocates, concerned about unacceptable numbers of traffic-related
deaths and injuries each year, created a program in 1998 which focused
prevention efforts on the most vulnerable population—children 14 years
old and younger. Research indicated that many injuries and fatalities
involved children as pedestrians and bicyclists against vehicles.
Further research
indicated a need for traffic safety prevention activities that are sensitive
to the needs of multi-cultural communities. Therefore, the KIDSAFE program
of injury prevention was developed to target the El Cajon and El Centro
areas of San Diego and Imperial Counties, where a large percentage of
the population is Hispanic American, and could benefit from bilingual
and culturally sensitive safety education. The KIDSAFE program employed
a number of activities formulated to meet the goals of the program,
including:
- A total
of 20 bicycle safety rodeos were conducted in El Cajon and El Centro
at schools, community fairs and other locations throughout the communities
- Forty-four
traffic safety presentations were conducted at churches and community
centers. The presentations focused on pedestrian safety, bicycle safety
and seat belt use
- KIDSAFE
program officials distributed 1,000 bicycle safety helmets to children
and provided instruction and training on proper use of safety helmets
both to the children and their parents
- Literature
and public awareness materials both in English and Spanish were distributed
at traffic safety events and presentations
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