PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
On average, two people die each day in motor vehicle crashes
on Georgia roadways. Failure to buckle seat belts when traveling in
a motor vehicle contributes to more of these fatalities than any other
single traffic safety behavior. Of particular concern to the Georgia
Governor's Office of Highway Safety (GOHS), is the decreased use of
both adult and child safety restraint systems by rural residents, low
income families and members of minority racial/ethnic communities. Statewide
data indicate that the use of child safety seats in Georgia decreased
between 1998 and 1999, with the rate of misuse averaging between 85
and 90 percent.
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
In the spring of 2000, the Georgia GOHS implemented a new strategy
for reaching under- served communities, with the development of Community
Outreach efforts. These initiatives are designed to:
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Assist under-served populations with low rates of seat belt and
child safety seat use, through public information and education
campaigns
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Conduct community summits that address highway safety issues
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Create community coalitions to implement programs that reduce
motor vehicle crash- related injuries and fatalities
-
Train local volunteers to become Child Passenger Safety Technicians
(CPST)
STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES
The primary Community Outreach strategy implemented by the GOHS
is the Georgia Community Summits. A summit consists of a one- or two-day
conference focusing on occupant protection issues, facilitated by a
local volunteer and targeting a broad cross-section of the local community.
Community Outreach program staff contact those Georgia counties with
low seat belt use rates, to develop community summits. The program seeks
to attract and educate a wide range of community representatives such
as the media, elected officials, religious leaders, school officials,
community organizations, youth and youth organizations, fraternal organizations,
the general public and all others interested in highway safety issues
affecting their community. Local communities are believed to be best
suited to identify highway safety issues affecting them, and to develop
effective countermeasures.
The GOHS provides small grants to help support the Community Summits,
along with program staff for technical assistance. Local coordinators
recruit additional volunteers, identify potential participants, create
agendas, develop printed programs and issue invitations for the summits.
At the beginning of each summit, the video Reducing Your Risks in
the Crash, is presented, followed by a question and answer period.
Demonstrations of proper seat belt use and the correct installation
of child safety seats are provided. The proper use of bicycle helmets
is demonstrated, and helmets are provided to low-income youth. Pre-
and post-tests are conducted to determine participants' level of knowledge
on occupant protection issues and Georgia law.
Each summit is expected to form a community coalition that will continue
to function at the local level and remain linked to GOHS as an important
resource for the Community Outreach occupant protection public education
and information campaign. Additional grants have been offered to community
groups in 2001, to establish programs supporting seat belt and child
restraint use.
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