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PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
Nationally, approximately
40 percent of children ages 1 through 15, ride unrestrained when traveling
in a motor vehicle. This more than doubles their risk of death or injury
in a crash. Data indicate that, while 43.3 percent of Caucasian children
up to age 9, killed in crashes were using safety restraints, only 28.2
percent of African American children fatally injured in traffic crashes
were using safety restraints. Moreover, Native American children under
age 15 traveling in a motor vehicle suffer a fatality rate twice as
high as that of Caucasian children. Fatality data for other minority
groups is currently being collected.
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
Well-trained child passenger
safety (CPS) specialists with uniform levels of knowledge and skills,
are needed to provide technical information and to raise awareness about
proper child restraint use. CPS trainers are especially needed in low-income
and disadvantaged areas, where adults and children are at highest risk
for motor vehicle-related injuries and fatalities. Very often, people
of color reside in high-risk communities. Training CPS specialists within
these communities is an effective way to reach the populations at risk.
This digest highlights activity in Florida, Georgia and Connecticut.
Objectives of their efforts include the following:
- Recruiting CPS specialists
from minority populations
- Targeting CPS training
toward low-income and disadvantaged areas of communities
- Providing consistent levels
of CPS education and training
STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES
A variety
of child passenger safety programs exist throughout Florida, Georgia
and Connecticut which target minority children . These include:
- The Orange
County Head Start Traffic Safety Program in Orlando, Florida, formed
by the Orange County Sheriff's Office in 1997 to target minority children
in local Head Start programs. Parents of children attending Head Start
programs were provided traffic safety training and offered discounts
on safety seats. Head Start teachers were trained to incorporate safety
and injury prevention instructions into their daily lessons. The standard
Head Start curriculum was enhanced by the inclusion of safety-related
videos, puppet shows and materials suitable for young children. The
three-year demonstration program ended in 1999; however, the Sheriff's
Office continues to reach out to minority children through safety
fairs and other community events
- The Georgia
Highway Safety Office (HSO) recruits minorities who are willing to
be trained as CPS technicians, from county health departments, fraternities
and sororities, child care centers and churches throughout the state.
A recent 4-day NHTSA Standardized CPS Training Program graduated 15
African Americans. Once certified, these technicians can provide CPS
information and technical assistance to minority families and caregivers
on the correct installation of child safety seats and booster seats,
and on the proper use of seat belts by older children
- In March
1999, the Waterbury, Connecticut Health Department and SAFEKIDS conducted
a 2-day CPS training program for Hispanic Health Council members and
affiliates. Six months later, a 4-hour CPS training course was also
offered. The council then distributed 150 child safety seats to low-income
minority families and provided training on proper installation and
use. Currently, the Hispanic Health Council is seeking a low-cost
supplier of child safety seats in order to continue to meet the need
for this popular program
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