NTSB Chairman Urges Latino Community to Increase Child Safety Seat Use
14 April 2000
NTSB Chairman Urges Latino Community to Increase Child Safety Seat Use
LOS ANGELES, April 14 National Transportation Safety Board
Chairman Jim Hall today called on the Latino community to do all it can to
increase child safety seat awareness and use by Latinos in Los Angeles.
The announcement was made at a child safety seat checkup event held at the
Multicultural Area Health Education Center in East Los Angeles. The Los
Angeles project is part of a national campaign by the NTSB to eliminate
highway crashes as the leading cause of death of children in America.
Today's event was co-sponsored by the NTSB, General Motors Corp., the
United Auto Workers Union, the National Council of La Raza and the National
SAFE KIDS Campaign.
Studies have shown that the highway death rates for Latino youths are
higher than those for white children, and that safety seat use in the Latino
community nationwide is lower than the national average.
"We are gratified that a nationally recognized grass roots organization
like NCLR will help deliver the important message of proper child safety seat
use where it is most needed -- directly to the Latino community and Latino
families."
Joining Chairman Hall at the event were Raul Yzaguirre, president and
chief executive of the NCLR, and Rod Gillum, General Motors vice president for
corporate relations.
Between 1990 and 1998, more than 82,000 children under age 20 died in
motor vehicle crashes, and more than 15,000 of those were under age 10.
"That's 33 children under the age of 10 dying every week on our highways,"
Chairman Hall said.
Latino teens have the highest occupant death rate among all 13- to 19-
year-olds. The death rate for Latino children aged 5 to 12 is 43 percent
lower than the rate for African-American children in the same age group, but
72 percent greater than the rate for white children. Latino children under
the age of 4 have the second highest highway death rate after African-American
children.
"We react with horror at every random act of street violence that takes
the life of an innocent child and we rightfully demand action when a child is
killed in one of our schools," Chairman Hall said. "Yet, we don't react with
equal shock to the number one killer of our children -- highway crashes. It's
time we did. And, it's time that we all demand that something be done to end
this needless loss of young lives on our roadways."
The proper use of seat belts and child safety seats is the single most
effective way to protect children from death and serious injury. Seat belts
are nearly 50 percent effective in preventing fatalities and child safety
seats can reduce the risk by 70 percent.
But to get those benefits, restraints have to be properly used. Seat
belts are designed for adults, so children under 8 years old should be in a
booster seat, child safety seat or infant seat that is correctly used and
appropriate for the child's size and weight.
Child safety seat checkup events have consistently shown that eight out of
10 parents and caregivers fail to properly secure the child, despite their
best efforts. Worse, a survey showed that 96 percent of parents and
caregivers think they are correctly using child seats.
To bridge this knowledge gap, the Safety Board challenged automakers,
child seat manufacturers, the Federal government and states to establish
permanent child seat fitting stations to provide much needed information.
Chairman Hall called for more fitting station events in Latino communities
and asked local businesses to help make that happen. He also asked Latino
families to make sure that children are always properly secured in
automobiles.
GM, the UAW, NCLR and SAFE KIDS have partnered to provide child safety
seats and safety education to Latino families across the country. GM and the
UAW have committed $25 million over three years for the seats. The seats are
distributed through the NCLR, while the safety education is provided by SAFE
KIDS.
Chairman Hall's remarks are available on the Safety Board's web page at
http://www.ntsb.gov/speeches.