Child Passenger S afety - PowerPoint Presentation

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Child Passenger Safety

Maggie Hall

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Achieving the Full Potential Injuries and violence in today’s society are incredibly vast, ranging from firearm deaths, to poisonings, to drownings, and to fatal motor vehicle accidents.

We as a group of undergraduate students can work together to prevent injuries from occurring, by utilizing our expansive knowledge and education on risk and protective factors to promote prevention.

We want a society where our children have the opportunity to achieve their full potential, but the issues of unsafe and inadequate child passenger safety are standing in their way. However, although injury deaths due to motor vehicle accidents are a threat to the health and future of children in the US, the solution is undoubtedly within our grasp.

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Understanding the Problem35% of all unintentional injury deaths in children ages 0-12 years old are transportation related.

Out of this 35%, 81% are caused by motor vehicle traffic (collisions)

Every year, more than 350,00 children ages 0-12 sustain non-fatal transportation related injuries

Every year, there are around 427,000 ED visits by children, resulting from a motor vehicle collision

To Put it in Perspective

:

In the US, 9 children, ages 0-12, die every single day

1 child visits the ED every 1.2 minutes, about the time it takes you to brush your teeth

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Who is at Risk?African American and Hispanic children ages 0-12

This is due to high proportions of unrestrained or inappropriately restrained practices

Children in families of lower SES and education level

This could be due to lack of knowledge and misinformation on proper safety techniques and car seat installations and transition times

In cars where drivers used restraints, 94% of children also used restraints, compared to 54% in cars where there was no restraint use by the adult

Obese children

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Risk Factors

Person

(Host)

Agent

Physical

Environment

Social

Environment

Pre-Event

Braking mechanisms

of the car

Condition of the tires

Physical safety of car

Weather, road conditions, visibility

Road

design, wide shoulders, barriers

Proper lighting Driver’s knowledge of proper car seat installation Driver’s training in handling road conditionsDriving laws EventHealth of childWeight/physical sizeSeating position in vehicle Airbag deployment Seatbelts are working properlySpeed and strength of the vehicleProper car seat or booster seat installation Obstacles such as poles, collapsible poles, guard rails, mediansPresence of a shoulder or a ditchSupport of booster/car seat laws?Support of EMS?Child restraint lawsPost-EventHealth of childWeight/physical size Fuel system integrity/potential for fireProximity of EMS/hospital/trauma centerEMS arrival time Training of EMSAccess to cellphoneAccess to rehab/other programsAccess to trauma centersAbility of family to continue proper care

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Solutions and ActionsThanks to research studies and technological improvements, there are endless ways that communities can help solve the problem of child passenger safety, such as the Buckle Up program and Child Passenger Safety Week.

Car seats and booster seats reduce the risk of fatal injury by 71% in children 0-1, and 54% for children 1-4: it is essential that people are educated on proper installation and the importance of safety seats, and we as students need to contribute. (NHTSA)

Organizations, communities, and the students of UGA must work together to promote child passenger safety techniques in order to ensure that every single child has the opportunity to live to achieve their full potential

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Solutions and ActionsPre-Event

Mandate that all expecting parents take a child passenger safety course.EventMore serious enforcement of laws that require children to sit in rear-facing car seats until the age of 4

Post-Event

Advocating for an increase in funding for additional nationwide programs that work with low income communities to expand the knowledge of child passenger safety.

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