Sesame Street and Ford Present Bilingual Automotive Safety Campaign In LA
12 January 2000
Sesame Street and Ford Present Bilingual Automotive Safety Campaign In Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES, Jan. 12 -- Ford Motor Company , the
Children's Television Workshop (CTW) and the National Safety Council have
teamed up to bring "Buckle Up with Sesame Street," their 1999-2000 national
multi-city safety tour to Los Angeles.
The live song and dance program is designed to teach children and parents
safe seating techniques and the importance of wearing safety belts. The
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that 80
percent of children are improperly restrained while riding in cars and trucks.
The "Buckle Up with Sesame Street" Child Safety Seat Clinic featuring
Elmo, Rosita and Telly Monster, debuts at Star Ford on, Thursday, January 13,
from 2-7 p.m. The safety show will perform Friday, January 14 - Sunday,
January 16, at the Glendale Galleria.
Parents will have the opportunity to have their child safety seats checked
by certified professionals at the dealership. The seat will be checked for
proper installation in the vehicle, correct size and fit for the child and
possible safety recalls. Parents are also encouraged to bring their children
who weigh 90 lbs. or less that are not currently using child safety seats.
Children will also be able to visit with Sesame Street Characters.
Certified child safety seat professionals will be provided by the National
Safety Council (NSC). The National Safety Council is a non-profit, non-
governmental, international public service organization dedicated to improving
the safety, health and environmental well-being of all people.
NSC's mission statement is "to educate and influence society to adopt
safety, health and environmental policies, practices and procedures that
prevent and mitigate human suffering and economic losses arising from
preventable causes."
"Buckle Up with Sesame Street" safety show is one part of the three-year
alliance between Ford Division and CTW, the producers of Sesame Street, to
deliver automotive safety messages to children and parents in English and
Spanish. The show will be traveling to community centers, malls and auto
shows in over 14 major cities throughout the United States.
"Buckle Up With Sesame Street" emphasizes these key safety messages:
* Always wear a safety belt while driving or riding in a car or truck.
* Children are safest when properly restrained in the back seat.
* Use approved child safety seats for children weighing less than 40
pounds.
* Children between 4 and 11 years of age and weighing between 40 and 90
pounds should use a booster seat to help position the safety belt
across the shoulder and hips.
* Rear-facing child seats always should be placed in the back seat of
vehicles or in the front seat of trucks equipped with the passenger air
bag switch in the "off" position.
* Front seats should be moved as far back as possible from air bags.
* Educating parents and children will help reduce auto-related injuries
and deaths.
Facts highlighting the need for safety education are:
* Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for children from
5-15 years of age.
* Currently, 80 children have been killed by an inflating air bag while
riding in the front seat of a vehicle. Almost all were improperly
restrained.
* Child safety seats reduce the risk of fatal injury by 69 percent for
infants and by 47 percent for toddlers.
* Increasing safety belt usage and having children properly restrained in
the back seat is the most effective way to save lives.
The alliance with CTW includes television advertising for the new Ford
Windstar with tagged PSA's featuring Sesame Street characters delivering
safety messages; custom published magazines delivered to more than 2.6 million
homes along with the Sesame Street Parents magazine; a safety content area on
the Sesame Street web site; print and television public service announcements;
and safety advice materials for children and parents distributed through Ford
dealerships.
The combination of Ford and Sesame Street is a natural. CTW is the
world's leader in educating and entertaining children, having reached millions
of children in more than 140 countries. It is estimated that 96 percent of
all American children have seen Sesame Street by the age of 3. Sesame Street
has a long history of celebrating cultural diversity and encouraging young
children to learn more about their heritage.
Ford is a leader in developing and providing reliable occupant safety for
our customers worldwide. Ford vehicles earn the highest marks of any full-
line automaker in crash test ratings released by the federal government.
Virtually every Ford vehicle currently rated has received the government's top
four- or five-star frontal crash test rating, including the 2000 Windstar.